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Behavior is definitely a function of the brain, however it is not entirely clear if the brain exactly equals behavior. Perhaps it is an issue of semantics but there are other factors in play. However, a brain-behavior relationship seems undeniable. One example of this relationship is the story of Phineas Gage and the pole that went through his head (damaging the frontal lobes) after an explosion. He survived the accident but the once hard-working, pleasant man apparently became an unreliable, impatient failure. This seems to be a clear example of the relationship between the brain and behavior and how the brain has control over behavior or personality. Similarly, there have also been cases where brain tumors have caused behavioral changes, but once the tumor is removed behavior returns to normal.

 Obviously disturbances in such a sensitive area cause changes to who we normally are but this does not mean the brain is the only “thing” that causes behavior. Environment and genetic coding also have huge effects on who we are and how we behave- but it is of course the brain that somehow processes all of the outside stimuli and allows us to act the way we do. A recent article in the Economist, A survey of the brain, states these observations best: “The brain is a mechanism which generates the self, not merely an organ which houses it”.

What is fascinating about the relationship between behavior and the brain is not only that one is a product of the other, but that we are able to control and manipulate our behavior under varying conditions. Also, we are able to do things that are illogical and irrational. It is amazing to think that what seems to be a complicated mechanical system of cells and chemicals that developed under evolutionary terms would allow us to act differently and go against instinct or intuition. For example- people who remain in abusive relationships, or someone who commits suicide. These are extreme cases, but still it seems as though we probably do things that don’t make sense everyday but we certainly don’t all have neurological problems, so why do we do it?