Biopsychology is the branch of psychology that analyzes how the brain and neurotransmitters influence our behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. This field can be thought of as a combination of basic psychology and neuroscience (Wagner, 2005). It is also known as Psychobiology. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines Psychobiology as “the study of mental functioning and behavior in relation to other biological processes” (2009). This combination of the study of psychological processes and their interaction with other biological processes has led to the development of many associated fields of medical studies. This essay traces the evolution of biopsychology, its basic precepts, and connected fields.
Man since ancient times knew that the mind plays an important role in physical well-being and that the two are connected. Human remains of over 10,000 years ago show evidence of Trepanation, or drilling of holes in the skull to release pain. Rene Descartes (1596-1650) made mechanical statues to test the theory of human reflex. Luigi Galvani (1737-1798) applied electrical stimulation to a frog’s leg to prove the neurological basis. Francis Gall (1758-1828) propounded the science of phrenology that stated that each bump on the skull was associated with a specific trait or characteristic. Johannes Muller (1801-1858) stated that the localization of bodily functions was located in the brain. However, a holistic theory came into being only at a much later stage when James Baldwin one of the earliest known psychobiologists propounded in 1895 that animals have adaptive mechanisms that help them to survive nature by trial and error. “This led to habit-forming that reinforced adaptations that would help the species to survive (Michel & Moore, 1995, p. 1)”. The all-embracing effect of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) whose ‘Origin of Species’ laid the foundations for biopsychology as an established field of human science cannot be underestimated. Darwin postulated that organisms evolve structure, physiology, and behavior as a response to the environment to survive, and only those species that adapt successfully survive. Thereon, scientists and researchers continued making steady progress in the development of biopsychology. Paul Broca (1824-1880), laid the foundation of neurophysiology by identifying the left hemisphere of the brain as the center for language. Thereon many associated fields came into prominence. Biopsychology also became to be variously called Sociobiology.
The underlying assumption of biopsychology is that biological and genetic factors play an important role in the way humans perceive the environment and learn coping mechanisms to deal with that environment. This interrelation of innate biological factors, together with the environment gives rise to human behavioral patterns. Socio-biologists argue that no two people are born with the same brain, brain chemistry, and a thinking process that is equal. Thus, the response of two individuals to the same environmental condition would differ. People respond to the same situations differently and the learning mechanisms to deal with the environment evolve differently for two different people. Behavioral neuroscience is an associated field of biopsychology that looks at the neurobiological and biochemical processes of an individual that determine a person’s behavioral traits. For example, researchers have found that a lack of Vitamins can cause visual distortions that can lead to aberrant behavior. Deficiencies of Vitamin B3, B6, and C have been linked to antisocial behavior. Other researchers have found that diets high in sugar lead to hyperactivity and attention span disorders. When the diet or previously uncontrollable hyperactive children were regulated, it led to a dramatic decrease in disruptive behavior. In normal people too, it is a known fact that irritation and anger increase when they are hungry. This is attributable in some parts to the lowering of sugar levels also called Hypoglycemia. This is because the brain requires the energy generated from the combustion of carbohydrates to function and low blood sugar affects the ability of the brain to function normally leading to behavioral responses that may range from headaches, anxiety, depression, confusion, and general irritability.
Allergies caused due to different types of foods, foods added with chemicals, and chemical pollution of the environment have been known to produce a wide range of antisocial behavior. Behavioral psychologists through neurobiological studies also called neuropsychology have found that the poor judgment performance of adolescents is attributable to “incomplete frontal cortex and cerebellum development” (Hanson, 2006, p. 19). Damage to the prefrontal cortex of the human brain either through injury or due to other physiological factors produces changes in human behavior over which ‘free will’ may have very little control. These are some of the associated fields of neuroscience connected with biopsychology.
In conclusion, it can be reiterated that biopsychology has a long history dating back 10,000 years and has seen the transforming effects of Darwin’s theory of natural selection which became the impetus point for the study of mental functioning and behavior in relation to other biological processes. The science of biopsychology has many related fields such as behavioral neuroscience, neuropsychology and it continues to evolve owing to technological advances, which now allows scientists and researchers to carry out a more detailed analysis of the human brain and its processes.
Works Cited
Hanson, M. J. (2006). Towards a New Assumption in Law and Ethics. The Humanist , pp. 18-21.
Michel, G. F., & Moore, C. L. (1995). Developmental Psychobiology. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Wagner, K. V. (2005). What is Biopsychology. Web.
Psychobiology. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Web.