Why We Snap: Understanding the Rage Circuit in Your Brain

Written by R. Douglas Fields

Narrated by Graham Winton

The startling new science behind sudden acts of violence committed by ordinary, sane people from a leading neurobiologist According to R. Douglas Fields, PhD, we all have a rage circuit we can't fully control once it is engaged. The daily headlines are filled with examples of otherwise rational people with no history of violence or mental illness suddenly snapping in a domestic dispute, barroom brawl, or road rage attack. We all wish to believe that we are in control of our actions, but the fact is, in certain circumstances we are not. Something in our environment can unexpectedly unleash an automatic and complex rage response. Dr. Fields is an internationally recognized neurobiologist and authority on the brain and the cellular mechanisms of memory. He has spent years trying to understand the biological basis of rage and anomalous violence, and he has concluded that our culture's understanding of the problem is based on an erroneous assumption: that rage attacks are the product of morally or mentally defective individuals, rather than a capacity that we all possess. The sad truth is that the right trigger in the right circumstance can unleash a fit of rage in almost anyone. And as Dr. Fields reveals and details for the first time, there are precisely nine triggers. Fields shows that violent behavior is the result of the clash between our evolutionary hardwiring and triggers in our contemporary world. Our personal space is more crowded than ever, we get less sleep, and we just aren't as fit as our ancestors. We need to understand how the hardwiring works and how to recognize the nine triggers. With a totally new perspective, engaging narrative, and practical advice, Why We Snap uncovers the biological roots of the rage response and how we can protect ourselves-and others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781501904523

R. Douglas Fields

R. Douglas Fields, Ph. D. is the Chief of the Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.  He received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. degree at San Jose State University, and a Ph.D. degree from the University of California, San Diego, working jointly in the Medical School and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.  Fields has conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University, Yale University, and the NIH. He became Head of the Neurocytology and Physiology Unit, NICHD in 1994, and Chief of the Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section, NICHD in 2001. He is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Neuron Glia Biology, and member of the editorial board of several other journals in the field of neuroscience. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Reviews for Why We Snap

[pattylee-621744 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Some interesting science about the brain and how and why we might react to stressors, with implications for bullying, gang membership, PTSD treatment, anger management, and political schisms. One of the most interesting pieces is how we know that childhood trauma and long term negative events such as bullying really do have devastating effects on brain development. Sometimes a mixed bag with an odd chapter or two thrown in because we have learned about the brain’s functioning from different sources and I think there was an issue of putting too much in just because I know it. Parts were extremely technical and medical so be aware.