Home: The Heart, Nay the Brain

When I wake up from a nightmare, or am reminded of a particularly fond memory, or when I think in Spanish, I wonder: What’s going on in my brain? What neurological feat is occurring in one of the final frontiers of the universe, the frontier trapped within my skull?

And recently, as I’ve moved far from Olympia, my fascination with neuroscience has led me to explore why I so miss our little corner of the Sound, the hippie capital of the state, the home of Evergreen, and Olympia Beer, and me.

When one sees someone they love, their brain becomes active in its regions rich with dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with happiness. It’s natural that in one’s hometown they are likely to most often see the ones that they love, and thus have a positive association with said place.

One also has many positive, emotional memories associated with the place they grew up -- such memories are stored in the amygdala, the part of the brain which handles memories tied to strong emotions. Furthermore, the brain does not only respond to seeing a loved one or recalling a memory -- the brain recognizes faces that have only been seen once, sometimes years later.

They credit the heart with the desire for the familiar; my ache to see sea gulls skim the blue-grey surface of the Puget Sound, to see Rainier cloaked in the golden light of sunrise; my longing for home. But surely, like all important matters facing humanity, this is fueled by the brain.

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Home: The Heart, Nay the Brain."