The Deep Roots of Mammalian Love and Affection

	Book review on Spiritual Evolution: A Scientific Defense of Faith by George E Vaillant (2008) Reviewed by Martin Lockley , 2009 published in Network Review No 100
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Paul Maclean’s classic triune brain model shows how, during evolution, the small ‘primitive’ reptilian brain stem was first surrounded by the intermediate-sized paleo-mammalian ‘limbic system’ and subsequently enveloped by the large neo-mammalian cortex.  Psychoanalyst and research psychiatrist George Vaillant explores these regions of the brain to identify the ‘seat’ of primitive drives, positive emotions and higher cognitive functions.  Vaillant, whose previous books include A Natural History of Alcoholism and Aging Well has an abiding interest in adult development and regards spiritual maturation as a natural part of the aging process. The first three chapters stress the evolutionary importance of the limbic system in shaping the emotional brain into something like a ‘Neolithic Mind.’ This development is, comparable to the instinctual, affectionate, emotionally-responsive, animistic, magic- and image-laden mind of a four year old before it becomes smothered by the tyrannical intellect.  Developing these themes,  Vaillant’s next seven chapters stress the ‘spiritually important positive emotions’ of Faith, Love, Hope, Joy, Forgiveness, Compassion, Awe and Mystical Illumination.

If ontogeny broadly recapitulates phylogeny, it follows that spiritual maturation is part of the evolutionary trajectory. This is the essentially ‘hopeful’  message reiterated throughout the book. Troubling as war, strife and violence are to human sensibilities, things are getting better. The homicide rate in Europe fell from 40 to 10 per 100,000 from the 13th through 18th centuries and is now down to less than 1 per 100,000, although in Detroit and some Third World regions we are stuck at 18th century levels!  

Vaillant suggests we can ‘work with’ the difference between the negative,  ‘fight or flight’ responses of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system and the stress-reducing responses of the parasympathetic nervous system which lower blood pressure, heart rate and  muscle tension by releasing relaxing neurochemicals. Just as both accelerator and brakes help ensure a smooth ride,  so we can harness our intrinsic but complementary tensions  to better know ourselves and, as Bing Crosby crooned ‘accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.’   Although Vaillant does not explicitly adopted this refrain (penned by Johnny Mercer), it serves well as his theme song.  

Vaillant reiterates Teilhard’s suggestion that ‘man is nothing else than evolution become conscious of itself ‘ (as  ‘noosphere’).   This theme, familiar to the SMN community, was similarly-stated when  Barfield spoke of a conscious stream entering the unconscious stream of evolution. I submit that it is more comforting to ‘think’ we are conscious than to admit that we are yet to fully ‘awaken’ and still prone to succumb to ancient mammalian and reptilian impulses.   When the small conscious stream enters the mighty river of unconsciousness it is easily overwhelmed by murky waters.

Nevertheless, for those who fear that evolution is a downward katabolic spiral, chapter 5 on ‘Love’  offers considerable hope.  We are reminded of Konrad Lorenz’s statement that love is ‘the most wonderful product of 10 million years of evolution’ and Erich Fromm’s conclusion that ‘Without love humanity could not exist for a day.’  Neuroimaging of individuals in relationships suggests that with time ‘all about me’ eros can evolve into mature, empathetic attachment (agape), progressively lighting up advanced, rather than primitive, brain complexes.  Even at the level of  ‘primitive’ mammalian evolution deeply positive reserves  exist: ‘The parasympathetic nervous system is anabolic: faith, hope and cuddling build up the body’s resources.’  Experiments show that the prairie vole benefits from oxytocin - the ‘cuddle hormone.’  Without it they become a different subspecies: ‘heartless, promiscuous, pup-abusing  montane voles.’  But with adequate cuddle hormones, the prairie subspecies pops from its burrow singing ‘accentuate the positive’ – no doubt with a harmonious oxytocin-producing chorus from a happy litter of cute little pups.

On the subject of rodents, and hope,  Vaillant notes that rats rescued after swimming to exhaustion will swim further in future than those who have never experienced a rescue. He often refers to such experiments and the role played by neurochemicals and different regions of the brain in producing diverse emotions. He also cites his own experience with anti-anxiety medication, which he later found to have benefited him only through the placebo effect: i.e.,  hope and faith. In his  ‘Joy’ chapter he notes that neuroscientsists only ‘sort of’ understand the centres for basic emotions (grief, pleasure, anger fear) and so must acknowledge that ‘joy is more complex than a mere pleasure centre’ it is ‘connection to the universe.’ Thus, he takes Freud to task for ignoring joy and cites the novelist Romain Rolland who wrote to Freud to point out that joyous, ‘oceanic feeling’ not ‘cognitive belief in God’ was the true source of religious feeling. (Dawkins take note)!  Thus, parents should ‘be attuned to their children’s joy’ which, incidentally, like the kitten’s purr and the puppy’s tail wagging,  emerges with the child’s smile when the limbic system becomes connected to the forebrain. On ‘Compassion,’ Vaillant asks would not want to prevent the grotesque reality of the naked, napalm-scarred Vietnamese child, captured in that iconic photo, and transform terror into security?  ‘You see, Darwinian evolution intends us all to be Samaritans.’

We enter familiar territory in the final chapters (10 and 11) on ‘Awe and mystical illumination’ and ‘The difference between religion and spirituality.’  Citing William James we are reminded how the mystical/spiritual experience enriches what Richard Bucke called our moral and intellectual sensibilities: the sense of self transcendence within a larger, universal reality infused with love and intelligence.  Ultimately we will benefit spiritually through a parasympathetic resonance with our positive emotions:  ‘forgiveness imposed by religious duty increases blood pressure, forgiveness mediated by empathy and love does not.’  Thus, alcoholics help themselves most by creating a compassionate, spiritual community or ‘social cocoon’ and defining AA as being as different from a religion ‘as spirituality is different from religion.’ We mature to love not just friends, family and the green, green grass of home. We also expand our social cocoon to embrace all our human and mammalian, limbic kin and all sentient beings with whom we share deep evolutionary roots and sympathetic and parasympathetic tendrils that bind us to the cosmos as a whole.

Professor Martin Lockley teaches palaentology and consciousness studies at the University of Denver.

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