Your ability to cultivate a stable and consistent sense of self is nothing short of remarkable.
Throughout our lives, we encounter significant transformations, evolving from infants to adults—acquiring new knowledge, forgetting some, forming fresh relationships, and letting go of old ones. These experiences are interspersed with vivid dreams and fleeting moments each night.
Yet, amidst all these changes, we continue to perceive ourselves as the same individuals. This phenomenon can be attributed to the ongoing developmental processes within the brain, which is more adaptable and delicate than you might think.
Classic studies from the late 20th century, such as those involving cases where half of the brain was severed as a radical epilepsy treatment, illustrate this concept.
Interestingly, these cases exhibited strange consequences, like patients performing contradictory movements, such as lifting a button with one hand while undoing it with the other. Nevertheless, they still maintained a coherent sense of self.
These individuals even crafted explanations for their unusual behaviors, demonstrating that their brains were actively working to create a unified personal narrative.
In healthy individuals, psychological studies have revealed memory patterns that bolster this constructed identity.
For instance, we tend to remember and reflect on experiences that align with our self-perception. If you identify as an introvert, you may find it easier to recall and emphasize past memories that resonate with that identity.
Essentially, you are curating your personal autobiography to fit your current self-concept.
The medial prefrontal cortex, located at the front of the brain just behind the forehead, plays a crucial role in regulating this structure.
Research indicates that when people identify traits that best describe themselves—whether in the present or future—this brain region is significantly more active than when they assess similar qualities in others.
Our constructed sense of self also extends to our possessions. During brain scans, the medial prefrontal cortex shows increased activity when individuals view their belongings, while this response diminishes for unfamiliar items.
This illustrates how quickly and adaptively our brains reshape our personal boundaries.
Memory processes are also vital in this ongoing construction of self.
Damage to the hippocampus, located deep within the brain alongside the temples, can prevent individuals from envisioning their past or future—highlighting how reliant our identity is on active brain functions.
Not only does your brain construct a sense of self over time, but it also maintains it spatially, providing a stable sense of ownership over your body.
Another critical region, known as the temporoparietal junction (located behind the ear), significantly influences this aspect of identity.
A study conducted in 2005 demonstrated that electrically stimulating this brain area during surgery could induce out-of-body experiences in patients, making them feel as though they were floating outside themselves.
Thus, while our sense of a stable self often feels entirely convincing, it can be disrupted by brain injuries or even by carefully orchestrated neural experiments.
Overall, the evidence suggests that our experience of “me-ness” is a constructed phenomenon, tirelessly maintained by the brain.
This article answers the question posed by Southampton’s Frank Ross: “How does my brain create a sense of self?”
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