Spirit of Bonhomie - Day Twelve

Who will you ding-a-ling?

National Ding-A-Ling Day, is celebrated annually on December 12th, a uniquely American holiday that encourages us to reconnect with friends or family members we may have lost touch with during the year.

The playful reference to “ding-a-ling” comes from the sound of a phone ringing—a reminder to reach out and rekindle connections.

Having someone speak to us is a cornucopia of neuroscientific wonder, exactly what we need to know to practice bonhomie.

When someone speaks to you, your brain orchestrates a remarkable symphony of neural activity. Let’s explore what happens:

1. Auditory Processing:

   • Sound waves from the speaker’s voice enter your ears.

   • Your auditory cortex, located in the temporal lobes, processes these sound signals.

   • Neurons fire in response to specific frequencies, allowing you to distinguish speech sounds, tones, and rhythms.

2. Language Comprehension:

   • The Wernicke’s area, also in the temporal lobe, deciphers the spoken words.

   • It matches the sounds to stored linguistic knowledge, allowing you to understand the meaning.

3. Emotional Response:

   • The amygdala, part of the limbic system, evaluates the emotional tone of the speaker’s voice.

   • Positive or negative emotions influence your overall perception of the conversation.

4. Social Cognition:

   • The prefrontal cortex processes social cues, such as tone, facial expressions, and context.

   • It helps you interpret the speaker’s intentions, emotions, and mental state.

5. Mirror Neurons:

   • These specialized neurons fire both when you perform an action and when you observe someone else doing the same.

   • When you hear someone speak, mirror neurons simulate the experience, enhancing empathy and understanding.

6. Memory Formation:

   • The hippocampus encodes the spoken information into memory.

   • If the conversation is meaningful, it becomes part of your long-term memory.

7. Dopamine Release:

   • Engaging conversations trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward.

   • Positive interactions reinforce social bonds and motivate further communication.

8. Attention and Focus:

   • The frontoparietal network directs attention to the speaker.

   • It filters out distractions, allowing you to focus on the conversation.

9. Motor Coordination:

   • As you listen, your brain prepares to respond.

   • The Broca’s area plans your verbal response, coordinating the movements of your lips, tongue, and vocal cords.

In essence, when someone speaks to you, your brain orchestrates a dance of perception, emotion, memory, and social cognition.

We do not get this from receiving texts, just from speech.

It’s a beautiful symphony that connects us as social beings. 🧠🗣️🌟

So today, to recognise the beautiful ding-a-ling day do the following.

Switch on your phone call noises so you can associate ding-a-ling with doing good connection.

Phone anyone you like and have a wonderful. active listening conversation.

How does that feel?

Bonhomie, indeed.

I wanted to talk to someone. But who? It’s moments like this, when you need someone the most, that your world seems smallest.