Endorphin is a brain-induced morphine as indicated by its name “endogenous morphine” consisting of the prefix endo- and suffix –orphin, a short form of the words endogenous and morphine, intended to mean "a morphine like substance originating from within the body". This is a natural and addictive pain killer, whose molecules resemble the drug Heroine by their structure and influence. Endorphins were discovered in the 1970s and were called: The Hormones of Pleasure. They worked efficiently for thousands of years, long before they were revealed to us. Endorphins are connected with our life’s reality through physical conditioning starting in an early stage of infancy.
A baby left alone for half an hour is "deadly afraid" and releases endorphins. These accumulate in the baby's brain and are released in very extreme cases of anxiety. In the natural situation of a feeling "threat" the hormone secreted in our body is Adrenaline. Its release predicts that we are about to choose one of two possible and opposite physical reactions, fight or flight. Both need preliminary physical preparation for the physical effort, and Adrenalin is preparing the body for this effort. The Endorphins are usually secreted in moments of pleasure (i.e. during an orgasm), but for human babies it is also secreted in states of extreme anxiety. This is a result of the state of helplessness the babies experience. they cannot run and if they cry loudly they might expose themselves to passing predators. By drugging themselves with Endorphins they create an efficient screening and relieve the baby's existential anxiety. The "Stress" hormone, Cortisol is responsible for the next step of the abandoned baby. Cortisol secretion stops the baby's growth and paralyses the immune system. The baby prepares so it can survive alone, as long as it take with no food, until his mother returns and take care of it. Such hormonal feedback starts working in the body of every baby after thirty minutes have passes since the moment it was left alone.
Endorphins serve us for two different purposes, the first is for pain killing and the second is as positive reinforcement of behavior. The practical meaning is that activities causing the brain to release Endorphins are coded as pleasure; therefore they receive high priority with all animals. For example when dealing with sexual attraction, it is the feeling of "passion" and it is causes by integrating the Endorphins (and Oxitocine) in the automatic cycle of stimulus and response, reaching its height during orgasm.
Western babies are left on their own for long periods of time, and they make use of "fear" as an Endorphin-releasing emotion in their bodies. This new inner linkage, connecting the secretion of Endorphins and the secretion of the Stress-hormone – Cortisol, fixates the anxiety-arousing excitements as a very efficient and convenient option for the release of the endogenous drug. Later on, when the children acquire the verbal language, they learn how to naturally create the feelings of anxiety needed for their bodies. The children do it with inner excitements based on their thinking process, stemming from their use of the language. An example for this is the imaginary and scary "nightmares", appearing during the sleep of many children.
Language is like a data compression program, and is used for transferring purposeful information. A short sentence like: "bring the chair from room five" is initiating a series of complex tasks of bringing an unfamiliar object. Words save memory space and are very compact and convenient to use. This convenience has a price. The price is due to the fact that language is obliging; therefore it shapes our whole perception of reality.
We learn the social conditionings that create our worldview as individuals, through the use of language. Therefore we see and decode reality through the filters constructed into thinking, and describe reality with letters, words and sentences.
This is a two-way process of influence, which interferes with a full objective understanding of reality. Word games of inner thinking are becoming the central game of our lives, already during our childhood, and this game can be played with great comfort and enjoyment, with others or alone. This might be the reason why our inner thinking (trapped forever inside an Endorphins needing body) is tempted to see reality through imaginary and scary filters. |
