THE BRAIN OF PRESENCE
Where and when does sociality begin?
Social neuroscience has transformed our view of the human brain.
It is no longer the isolated organ we once imagined: it is deeply sensitive to others, to their emotions, to their intentions, to the relationships that structure our existence.
But one question seems to have remained quietly in the background.
At what point does the brain begin to function in a "social" mode?
In most classical models, particularly that of the Social Brain, sociality appears when the brain enters into elaborate forms of interaction: communicating, cooperating, interpreting the intentions of others, sharing complex emotions.
But another possibility is gradually emerging.
What if the brain starts to become social even before interaction?
Even before words are spoken. Even before any exchange takes place. Sometimes even before a clear awareness of the other person.
As if the brain were already answering a more fundamental question:
Is anyone around?
Not once and for all. At every moment, in one form or another, with more or less certainty.
The project "The Brain of Presence" explores this hypothesis.
What if the presence of others was not simply a context for our mental and emotional life, but a fundamental and continuous condition in which the human brain develops, functions, learns, adapts, and regulates its internal states?
This question concerns neuroscience. But also human development, attachment, psychotherapy, loneliness, the contemporary transformations of our societies and the new forms of presence that are emerging today.
From birth — perhaps even before, from intrauterine life — until the end of existence, we are immersed in the presence of others. Or in their absence.
The Brain of Presence starts from this simple yet profound reality: we never function alone. Even when others are absent. And understanding this may change everything.