X-Message-Number: 12556
From: "George Smith" <>
References: <>
Subject: Biological study on emotions
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 12:58:23 -0700

Sentics: The Touch of the Emotions by Manfred Clynes, 1977, ISBN:
1-85327-025-3.

Manfred Clynes has a D.Sc in neuroscience from the University of Melbourne,
an M.S. in music from the Juilliard School of Music (NY), and performed
graduate work at Princeton in the psychology of music.  He was chief
research scientist at Rockland State Hospital in Orangeburg, NY for 17 years
where he developed his theories on "sentics".  As a physiologist he
discovered the biologic law of unidirectional rate sensitivity and among his
40 patents is included the Computer of Average Transient (CAT), which has
become a standard tool in virtually all research labs studying brain
function.  Oh, yes.  He also has a degree in engineering as well as having
toured Europe as a professional concert pianist.

(How does one spell "genius"?)

In this amazingly overlooked book, Dr. Clynes summarizes his discovery that
there are fundamentally eight essential "emotions" and these can be
identified and clearly distinguished from each other by means of their
"shape" which is not only expressed by the dimensions of intensity and
duration on graphs in clinical experiments, but the resulting visual
presentation of each form can induce the same emotion in subjects.  This
remarkable research was tested cross-culturally in Mexico, Japan, Bali and
the United States.

"Precise, genetically programmed brain processes have been found to exist
which determine the way we perceive and express emotions." (page xxiii).

I first read and studied this book in 1980.  The use of sentics to drive
(induce) emotional responses is effective (and sometimes quite useful).  In
view of the ongoing Cryonet discussion regarding "feelings" and
"intelligence", I would submit that this work offers relevant insights and
recommend it highly.

George Smith
http://www.cryonics.org

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