eSOM
The Road to D, or the Story of Singularity High School (SHS) and Cowa
2025.07.16
eSOM: The Road to D (33) Stress, Flow’s Greatest Enemy, Part 1
1.
Just when I thought the last schooling session (2nd) was over, the next one (3rd) was already upon us.
During this time, a significant event occurred for Singularity High School (SHS).
It was decided to collaborate with Audrey Tang to build the digital democratic society (DD) she advocates for, within the context of the East Mediterranean Economic and Cultural Sphere (EMECS).
She read “Constructing SHS while watching Audrey Tang’s Good Enough Ancestor” ( eSOM: The Road to D (21-30)), and she agreed with its content.
The construction of EMECS itself will be handled by eSOM Inc., SHS’s sister organization.
SHS, and the “university” to be established within a few years, will be responsible for training the personnel who will undertake this construction.
(The reason “university” is in quotation marks is that it aims to be a model for higher education for the next 300 years, vastly different from most existing universities.)
Education for EMECS construction will have an understanding of brain structure as its fundamental basis.
This is because it’s no exaggeration to say that the structure of the brain itself is the structure of EMECS according to E. Glen Wyle & Audrey Tang’s Plurality.
And the starting point for learning the structure of the brain (= the structure of EMECS) is SHS’ Physical Education class, with The Real Happy Pill as its textbook.
2.
In this (3rd) Physical Education schooling session, based on Chapter 2 of The Real Happy Pill, we will explore how running/walking affects the brain to reduce stress, the archenemy of flow.
Before that, let’s review the content from the previous session.
At SHS, Home Economics and Health and Physical Education are prerequisites for all other learning.
Let’s look back at why this is in a Q&A format.
Q1. Why does all learning at SHS begin with Home Economics?
A1. SHS’ educational policy is that before starting various types of learning, one must first clarify their life goals and the path to achieve them, and all other learning is undertaken to reach those goals.
At SHS, in Home Economics, we clarify those goals as much as possible and identify the path to reaching them.
Q2. What is the role of Health and Physical Education, which is closely related to the role of Home Economics?
A2. At SHS, one’s life goal is the intersection of one’s own flow (being engrossed to the point of forgetting time = what one likes) and what is required for building the society humanity should aim for (a society where SDGs are achieved ≈ a well-being society ≈ D = DD).
This means we must first understand what flow is, and then be able to enter flow for as long and as deeply as possible.
SHS’ Health and Physical Education is responsible for scientifically understanding the mechanisms of a “flow brain” (a brain that can enter flow for as long and as deeply as possible) and body, while building such a brain through running/walking.
Q3. Besides the goal of building a flow brain, there’s another important goal for learning brain mechanisms at SHS, isn’t there?
A3. The second goal for learning brain structure/mechanisms at SHS is based on the premise that the complex structure/mechanisms of the brain are fundamentally the same as the similarly complex structure/mechanisms of society, and to acquire the fundamental basis for learning about the structure/mechanisms of society in other subjects.
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Q4. In the previous schooling session, what did we learn about the mechanism by which running/walking activates the brain and leads to flow (i.e., increased concentration/selective comprehension)?
A4. Firstly, what’s important is that flow is an “increase in concentration/selective comprehension,” and this “concentration/selective comprehension” is what’s called “consciousness” (= the brain’s function of filtering all various perceptions (like sight and hearing) to distinguish what the brain should focus on now from what’s not important).
And “consciousness” in this sense is the product of the collaboration of the three parts of the cerebrum: the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and parietal lobe.
Especially the prefrontal cortex, the front part of the frontal lobe, is considered the “command center of the brain” because it’s the source of “the ability to set and achieve long-term goals without acting on immediate impulses,” in other words, computational thinking (CT).
The better the collaboration between subjects (≈ agents) like the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and parietal lobe, the higher the consciousness (i.e., concentration/selective comprehension) increases.
This is like in soccer, the better the collaboration between players (= agents), the closer they get to victory, or, in society, the better the collaboration between societal members (= agents), the higher the well-being of both individuals and society, and society gets closer to DD=D.
The role of the “reward system”
The “reward system” is what smooths brain agent collaboration and generates flow (increased consciousness/concentration/selective comprehension).
The reward system is a system centered around the nucleus accumbens (reward center), a part of the brain.
When a certain action (e.g., sexual activity) satisfies one’s desires for some reason, information that “sexual activity satisfies desires (═ provides reward)” is generated in the nucleus accumbens in the form of increased dopamine secretion.
That information, generated in the nucleus accumbens based on dopamine, is transmitted, also by dopamine, to the frontal lobe (especially the prefrontal cortex), where the desire (as consciousness), “I want to engage in sexual activity,” is constructed.
Even when the frontal lobe constructs the desire ═ consciousness, “I want to have sex,” the material for it is dopamine.
The source of flow (continuing to do something to the point of forgetting time) is such desires ═ rewards, and the source (═ material) of desires ═ rewards is dopamine.
Therefore, dopamine becomes the “material (source)” for constructing flow.
Running/walking increases the secretion of dopamine (pleasure substance), the “material” for flow, in the brain.
Q5. In society, what do you think is equivalent to the brain’s network? (Please do ask this question.)
3.
Now, let’s learn how running and walking affect the brain and remove “stress” from it, based on Chapter 3 of The Real Happy Pill, “Removing ‘Stress’ from the Brain.”
First, Coro’s definition of stress is as follows (bold):
Stress is the body and mind’s reaction to external stimuli or changes when trying to adapt. These stimuli range from physical (noise, heat, cold, etc.) to psychological (human relationships, work pressure, future anxiety, etc.). When stress is felt, various physical and mental reactions appear, such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, and scattered concentration.
Q6. When do you feel stressed?
As Coro says, “When stress is felt, concentration [flow] becomes scattered.”
So, what happens in the brain when stress occurs?
The amygdala (a type of brain region) detects danger and issues a “warning” to the “HPA axis = adrenal axis,” a system (pathway) composed of the hypothalamus (H), pituitary (P), and adrenal glands (A) that regulates the body’s stress response and hormone balance. (p. 66)
Upon receiving the warning (═ threat), H (hypothalamus) releases a hormone (CRH, corticotropin-releasing hormone) to stimulate P (pituitary). (From here to 7, pp. 63-68)
Q. Coro, please tell me in detail about hormones from various angles.
P (pituitary) releases another hormone, which is carried by the bloodstream and stimulates A (adrenal gland).
In response, the adrenal glands release “cortisol” (the stress hormone).
As a result, cortisol levels in the blood rise, and both the brain and body enter a state of high alert (stress response).
Stress response (brain and body’s “high alert” state) means the condition that which the heart pounds intensely (═ heart rate increases) because muscles need a lot of blood when prepared for fight or flight in order to protect one’s life.
The stress response further activates the amygdala (the driving force of the HPA axis), amplifying the stress response through the processes described above.
If the amygdala’s excitation doesn’t subside and the HPA axis becomes uncontrollable, a full-blown panic attack will eventually occur.
Panic attacks are not only very painful but also often lead to irrational behavior from the person experiencing them, rarely ending well.
The stress (response) caused by such brain activity, far from enhancing well-being based on flow, becomes the root cause of unhappiness for oneself and others.
Therefore, running/walking greatly helps reduce stress, activate flow, and consequently, enhance well-being.
The Real Happy Pill states that the brain “is equipped with several brake pedals that alleviate stress responses and prevent excitement and panic attacks.” (p. 68)
Exercise improves the effectiveness of these “brakes,” but first, let’s look at these two “brakes.”
(To be continued)
