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This week's discussion in class was the most fascinating one we've had so far. The idea that our Nervous system knows a lot of things we (our I function) are not aware of both intrigued and made a lot of sense to me.

A lot of us decide whether or not we like a person within the first few minutes of meeting them (or at least whether or not we want to continue a conversation with them). I am wondering if this is a combination of our nervous system's input (the other person's pupil is not dilated enough), or if it is our own decision that we dislike them (for whatever outward manifestations of their character). Or is it that even when we think it is our decision, it actually comes from our nervous system. This is interesting, for if we go Emily Dickinson's way, and the world is a construction of the mind, then isnt all of our minds hiding a parts of the world from us? (Sensory cues the nervous system picks up, beyond the five senses we are accustomed to).

I also read some interesting articles regarding menstrual cycle and pheromones. (That I can't find the link to now). It said that researchers who carried out a study in a nightclub/bar found that lesser men approached women who were menstruating. Evolutionarily this makes sense because women can't typically 'mate' when they are menstruating. Also, pheromones released by women when they were ovulating made them seem more attractive to the opposite sex. I was wondering what the exact evolutionary explanation for co-ordinated menstrual cycles are. I also find the idea of the alpha woman put forth earlier in this forum extremely interesting, and I wonder if the alpha women in our cultures are the one that are socially more popular.