amycvdh reblogged
With the effulgence of the new brain, mammals developed a capacity we call limbic resonance — a symphony of mutual exchange and internal adaptation whereby two mammals become attuned to each other’s inner states. It is limbic resonance that makes looking into the face of another emotionally responsive creature a multi-layered experience. Instead of seeing a pair of eyes as two bespeckled buttons, when we look into the ocular portals into a limbic brain our vision goes deep: the sensations multiply, just as two mirrors place in opposition create a shimmering ricochet of reflections whose depth recede into infinity. Eye contact, although it occurs over a gap of yards, is not a metaphor. When we meet the gaze of another, two nervous systems achieve a palpable and intimate apposition.
A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis, MD, Fari Amni, MD, Richard Lannon, MD (via 1and1makes2)