What do a dancer, a chess playÂer, a visuÂal artist, a trumÂpeter, an archiÂtect, and a cab driÂver have in comÂmon? In the case of the dancer, the chess playÂer, the visuÂal artist, the trumÂpeter, the archiÂtect, and the cab driÂver proÂfiled in trained molÂeÂcÂuÂlar biolÂoÂgist and neuÂroÂsciÂenÂtist and The Rough Guide to the Brain author BarÂry J. Gibb’s abNorÂmal above, they share… well, abnorÂmalÂiÂty, in some sense or anothÂer. This half-hour docÂuÂmenÂtary, which Gibb made in conÂsulÂtaÂtion with psyÂcholÂoÂgist and neuÂroimagÂing researcher Chris Frith, “points a microÂscope at human behavÂiour, askÂing viewÂers to quesÂtion their perÂcepÂtions of othÂers and even of themÂselves.” An ambiÂtious manÂdate, espeÂcialÂly when you conÂsidÂer its cenÂtral quesÂtion: we know what we mean when we think of someÂone else as abnorÂmal, but what do all these othÂer peoÂple — peoÂple whom we might indeed find abnorÂmal, for good, ill, or both — conÂsidÂer abnorÂmal? Do they conÂsidÂer themÂselves abnorÂmal? And how do we define norÂmalÂiÂty, let alone abnorÂmalÂiÂty, in the first place?
A tanÂgled quesÂtion, borÂderÂing on nonÂsense, but sciÂence can, as usuÂal, clarÂiÂfy a few things. abNorÂmal finds answers, or at least the approÂpriÂate quesÂtions, in the workÂings of the human brain. It comes as an earÂly offerÂing from MosaÂic, a new site from the WellÂcome Trust “dedÂiÂcatÂed to explorÂing the sciÂence of life” by telling “stoÂries with real depth about the ideas, trends and peoÂple that driÂve conÂtemÂpoÂrary life sciÂences,” all pubÂlished as CreÂative ComÂmons-licensed conÂtent. In this case, a set of human stoÂries — the frusÂtratÂed IT workÂer who ditched the office job to become a LonÂdon cabÂbie, the Thai painter who makes large-form works with three-dimenÂsionÂal nipÂples, the breakÂdancer bent on recreÂatÂing and improvÂing on 1982 with his body alone — conÂverge to eluÂciÂdate a deepÂer sciÂenÂtifÂic narÂraÂtive about our brains, our enviÂronÂments, and the forms our lives take today.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
This is Your Brain on Sex and ReliÂgion: ExperÂiÂments in NeuÂroÂscience
Steven Pinker Explains the NeuÂroÂscience of SwearÂing (NSFW)
ColÂin MarÂshall hosts and proÂduces NoteÂbook on Cities and CulÂture and writes essays on cities, lanÂguage, Asia, and men’s style. He’s at work on a book about Los AngeÂles, A Los AngeÂles Primer. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
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