Understanding Interest-Based Nervous System (Part 1)

There are three basic systems at work, two enabling us to be ON, one enabling us to switch OFF. Both of the ON systems manage and direct our energies and attention towards or away from things in our world in anxiety, fear, reward or pleasure.

And while the nervous system extends throughout the body, and is tuned by environmental and social factors, today’s science rightly insists that the brain—and its contribution to curiosity—is importantly unique.

Driven by the neurotransmitter dopamine, our SEEKING system is meant to cue us to feel enthusiastic about going into the world to pursue what we need and want through experiences. When this system becomes overstimulated and hijacked by chronic stress and attention overload, a domino effect occurs, disrupting all the systems at once, making us hyper

It constantly scans our environment for cues: Should I be careful here? Is this a dangerous situation? Is this person a friend or foe? Am I properly hydrated and fed to deal with any threats? The autonomic system uses something called neuroception – a ‘sixth sense’ that operates outside our conscious awareness – to assess our environment and put pe

Self-determination theory maintains that humans are organisms that seek out complexity, and that our brains are problem-solving organs that require a steady diet of increasingly difficult problems to solve.

At the core of interpersonal neurobiology is our proposal that mindsight permits us to direct the flow of energy and information toward integration. And integration—which we’ll be exploring in many of its real-world applications—is seen to be at the heart of well-being.

The “other people” part is more important than you might realize. That’s because the brain is innately –⁠ that is, neurochemically –⁠ motivated to care for and connect to other people. When you have a purpose, you satiate that innate desire –⁠ and your brain rewards you for it. The reactivity decreases in various regions of the brain, like the amyg