The heart's intelligence?

[abskebabs]

Hi everybody, I have been pondering the whether and when I should post this for a while, but I have decided to get it over and done with. I was watching a very interesting Mindshock documentary on Channel 4 more than a month back titled Transplanting Memories. Ppl living within the UK may be vaguely aware of these documentaries.

 

I even bothered to make notes on the documentary, which lo and behold; I am now going to use to write this post. Basically the program was centred on the changes in mental behaviour and personality of patients after their operations. Many underwent lifestyle changes, and also adopted the memories of their doners.

 

For example one woman found that her handwriting changed, she changed her food preferences, becoming fond of KFC and drinking beer; things she would have abstained from with a passion before her operation. She also had a dream of young biker going by the name of Tim L. This same Tim L turned out to be her doner, something which was unprecedented as she could not have known this because of doner confidentiality.

 

The program also advanced how several neurologists ahve been intrigued by this phenomenon and have taken to investigate if the heart could be sentient along with the brain. I think the hypothesis proposed was that the heart could have a kind of emotional intelligence more embedded within our personalities and feelings than the brain. If such a hypothesis turns out to be correct, then perhaps the symbolic use of the heart being associated with emotion is truly more than just symbolic, and it functions as much more than just a pump(to put it simply).

 

Fortunately I have been able to find a video of the documentary online so you don't have to navigate through any more of my disorganised babble and see for yourself what I am talkling about. You can view it from the link below, and please tell me what you make of this, as I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-2219468990718192402&q=terry+jones

[Sisyphus]

Questions:

 

Is there anything more than anecdotal evidence for this sort of thing?

 

Has there been any speculation about how such a phenomenon might work?

 

What about it makes it "emotional" intelligence?

[abskebabs]

Questions:

 

Is there anything more than anecdotal evidence for this sort of thing?

 

Has there been any speculation about how such a phenomenon might work?

 

What about it makes it "emotional" intelligence?

In short, I think there has. In my laziness, I have failed to elaborate on it. You will find a lot more about it on the video though, especially theories being put forward for how such phenomenon work.

[Sayonara]

I suspect that if they expanded their sample group to "people who have had really major surgery", instead of just looking at heart transplants, they would find exactly the same proportion of patients experienced similar lifestyle changes.

[SkepticLance]

Couple of points.

 

1. People who have been through transplant operations have undergone a major trauma. It is not at all surprising that many will show changes in their approach to life. I had a very minor health hiccough recently, age related, and decided to do a trip to Europe, on the grounds that it is obvious I ain't gonna live forever. Others with greater trauma will experience much greater changes than this.

 

2. Receiving someone else's organ often results in curiosity about the donor. Once these people find out a little about the donor, some might emulate their benefactor.

 

3. The media, and ESPECIALLY documentary makers for TV, are not always fond of scientific truth. They frequently select their data to support a predetermined story. This is not science.

[abskebabs]

Has anyone actually watched the documentary? I don't think you should be satisfied to dismiss it out of hand for the reasons already mentioned. I probably have not done it justice in explaining what it goes through, but you should watch it anyway to at least make a judgement of it first hand.

 

I acknowledge the lifestyle changes ppl go through after many transplant operations. It should be noted however that in the documentary they do make the point that most of the phenomenon were especially observed more in patients with heart transplants as opposed to those with organ transplantations.

 

I understand a certain degree of skepticism is required and indeed beneficial to science, but not to the extent that it becomes outright dismissiveness of new ideas or approaches.

[Dr. Dalek]

I have heard of this phenomonon before. I don't know much about it though. . . .

 

SkepticLances arguments make sense, however if the documentary is to be trusted then it seems as if changes in behavior associated with transplants may somehow be related to some other factor than normal psycological responces.

[Cyberman]

3. The media, and ESPECIALLY documentary makers for TV, are not always fond of scientific truth.

 

Mike Moore would be a perfect example.

 

This is not science.

The only reason this isn't scientific is because it's factuality or lack there of hasn't been established, nor has it been studied through scientific means.

 

Anecdotes are not scientific, however in the right circumstances they can become the basis for scientific investigations or inquiries. I would be interested to read a report of any investigation regarding this subject.

[Edtharan]

I think this kind of phnomina can be put down to selective reporting. If we ask just 2 questions we can attemt to put this in perspective:

 

1) How many people who have had heart (or other organ) transplants and not had a change in personality?

2) How many people change certain aspects of their personality without having any transplants?

 

I think the ration would be similar to the one that undergo transplants and have personality changes.

 

If one only foccuses on reports that match with you expectations, then your expectations will be supported. But, if you look at the whole picture, then you may see that your expectations might be wrong.

[Dr. Dalek]

I think this kind of phnomina can be put down to selective reporting. If we ask just 2 questions we can attemt to put this in perspective:

 

1) How many people who have had heart (or other organ) transplants and not had a change in personality?

2) How many people change certain aspects of their personality without having any transplants?

 

I think the ration would be similar to the one that undergo transplants and have personality changes.

 

If one only foccuses on reports that match with you expectations' date=' then your expectations [i']will[/i] be supported. But, if you look at the whole picture, then you may see that your expectations might be wrong.

 

This could be put down to selective reporting, however we can't know that for sure because (as far as I know) there has been no statistical study on this subject.

It is often said that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." The claim that transplant patient's personalities can somehow be effected by the personalities of the organ donors is an extraordinary claim. From what I have read, it does not seem as if the documentary provides extensive data or "extraordinary evidence" necessary to establish this phenominon as real or not. This does not necessarily mean there is no such evidence, just that no one has studied it scientifically.

There probably is nothing more to this phenomenon then anecdotes and selective reporting however you cannot be sure until there is a serious study done.

[Cyberman]

There probably is nothing more to this phenomenon then anecdotes and selective reporting however you cannot be sure until there is a serious study done.

The only reason this isn't scientific is because it's factuality or lack there of hasn't been established, nor has it been studied through scientific means.

On further thought, It would be very hard to do an unbiased study on something that falls under the category of psycological, and nearly supernatural in several ways.

How would you collect data on personality changes would be one problem, quantifying personality traits is just one of the many problems that would arise with trying to study something like this.