Singing to females makes male birds' brains happy

It was the totally awesome Professor William A. Jacobson, fellow Brown Revolution foot soldier, who called our attention to the need "to print Sitemeter histories, apparently. So here is mine," he writes, "with a month of January likely never to be repeated. Unless Scott Brown runs for President, or something." Above, the graphical record of our own once-in-a-lifetime brush with history.

Did you know that "Singing To Females Makes Male Birds' Brains Happy"? That's what scientists are telling us. Sometimes they'll tell us a lotta lies to shore up their status within a peer group, but this one rings true:

The melodious singing of birds has been long appreciated by humans, and has often been thought to reflect a particularly positive emotional state of the singer. Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have now demonstrated that this can be true. When male birds sang to attract females, specific "reward" areas of their brain were strongly activated. Such strong brain activation resulted in a similar change in brain reward function to that which is caused by addictive drugs.

The brain of humans and other animals is programmed to have a positive emotional response to rewarding stimuli, such as food or sex [or Instalanches, see above and below images]. A critical part of this reward signal is thought to be provided by increased activity of neurons containing dopamine in the brain ventral tegmental area, VTA. Along with natural rewards, the same brain circuits can also be strongly activated by artificial rewards such as addictive drugs.

"A rush of dopamine at our first Instalanche, followed by dopamine's falling at our first really nasty comment," we wrote way back in March of 2004, noting that "at such a time, it is helpful to remember that "dopamine's action can explain both the highs of romantic passion (dopamine rising) and the lows of rejection (dopamine falling)."

Now comes more scientific evidence of what everyone knows on a gut level, that "Brain Dopamine Receptor Density Correlates With Social Status":

Dr. Martinez explains their findings: "We showed that low levels of dopamine receptors were associated with low social status and that high levels of dopamine receptors were associated with higher social status. The same type of association was seen with the volunteers' reports of social support they experience from their friends, family, or significant other."

That's why it feels so good when you get an Instalanche or a kind word from someone you love.

Comments

[Gayle Miller]

Reading your blog makes MY brain happy!

[Sissy Willis]

Gayle: Reading your comments makes MY brain happy!

[goomp]

Your brain being happy makes my brain happy.

[Teresa]

I'm just looking at your stats and have to say

Brava! Well deserved!

(I have to laugh because I'm always surprised if my numbers go above 100 readers...).

It's all in the writing. You have the talent to bring in the readers.