The Man With Half A Brain and no Emotions is Always Happy

Finally it’s been clinically proven that a man with half a brain and no emotional apparatus is the happiest creature on earth. There is a paper about a man named Roger from Iowa who lost most of his “limbic system” due to a rare viral lesion, neuroskeptic describes it.

“Limbic system” is an old, vague, but still popular term for a collection of brain structures located deep in the centre of the brain … It’s often thought of as the “primitive”, “emotional” part of the brain, and there is some truth to this. Roger’s limbic system was profoundly damaged on both sides; on the right side, the lesion included the whole temporal lobe and most of the ventral prefrontal cortex as well.”

Remarkably Roger is functional, although he is unable to remember anything that happed since the loss 28 years ago. From the paper:

“He has virtually no episodic memories for any events that have transpired over the past three decades. For example, he has no recollection of 9/11, and when shown pictures of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center he often responds with bewilderment, speculating that Russia must be attacking America.”

Neuroskeptic writes:

“His IQ is above average; his speech and language abilities are excellent; his vision and hearing are normal, although he has no sense of taste or smell. His short term (working) memory, attention, and reasoning abilities are unimpaired. His motor abilities are fine – he is reportedly an excellent bowler – and he is able to improve motor skills through practice. And his recall of things which happened before the infection is largely preserved, although the few years just before the infection are partially lost.”

But most interestingly Roger is actually always happy:

“Roger appears remarkably unconcerned by his condition. He hardly ever complains and, in general, shows little worry for anything in life. Both of his parents and his sister fervently claim that “Roger is always happy,” an observation that is consistent with our own impression. Moreover, based on his family’s report, Roger is paradoxically happier now than he was before his brain damage. … His premorbid disposition of being somewhat reserved and introverted has shifted to being outgoing and extroverted…

Most conversations with Roger involve animated speech that is replete with prosody, gesture, and, often times, laughing. He readily displays signs of positive emotion including happiness, amusement, interest, and excitement. As previously noted, Roger’s positive mood has remained essentially unchanged over nearly three decades.”