Discovered in the 1990s in the brains of macaque monkeys, these cells fired both when a monkey grabbed a peanut and when it watched a human grab one. The scientific community went wild. Suddenly, mirror neurons were the "DNA of psychology." Experts claimed they were the secret to empathy, language, and even why we enjoy watching sports.
📍 The "mirror neuron" theory was a beautiful, simple answer to how we connect. Hickok’s work serves as a reminder that the human brain is rarely that simple. The Myth of Mirror Neurons: The Real Neuroscien...
We understand others through high-level conceptual processing. Discovered in the 1990s in the brains of
Hickok pointed out that while macaques have these neurons, they don't have human-level empathy or language. Have mirror neurons but don't imitate well. 📍 The "mirror neuron" theory was a beautiful,
The motor system helps us predict or refine that understanding.