முகபாவனை, உடல் சைகைகள் மற்றும் குறிப்பறிதல்: திருக்குறள் அதிகாரமும் நவீன மூளை நரம்பியல் ஆய்வும்
Facial Expressions, Body Language, and Perceiving Cues: A Thirukkural Chapter and Modern Neuroscience Research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63300/tm0403122520Keywords:
Thirukkural, Kuriparidhal (Perceiving Cues), Neuroscience, Facial Recognition, Amygdala, Right Hemisphere, Microexpressions, GABA/Glutamate, Social CognitionAbstract
This study aims to establish the precise scientific underpinnings of the concept of 'Kuriparidhal' (Perceiving Cues), from Chapter 71 in the Porutpal section of the Thirukkural, a Tamil classical text dating back over two thousand years, by comparing it with contemporary findings in neuroscience. Kuriparidhal is the high cognitive ability to discern a person's inner thoughts and emotional state without verbal communication, by interpreting their facial expressions, body language, and eye movements. The author, Valluvar, extols a person with this ability as an "ornament to the world" (Kural 701). The primary objective of this research is to analyze how these ancient assertions align with specific anatomical and chemical functions of the brain.
According to neuroscience research, emotional processing is associated with Right Hemisphere Dominance in the brain. Specifically, the perception of facial emotional expressions is enabled by the integrated function of the Fusiform area (for facial recognition), the Amygdala (for emotional processing), and the Prefrontal Cortex (for cognitive control). Furthermore, it has been observed that in individuals skilled in perceiving cues, certain brain regions are larger by 12% to 86%. A lower ratio of the neurochemicals GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric acid) to Glutamate has also been found in their prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region crucial for cognitive control. This neurochemical balance helps in making rapid and precise selections amidst complex inputs. The speed of recognizing microexpressions, which occurs within 10 to 250 milliseconds, is also pointed out to be consistent with the timeframes (a few seconds) mentioned in the Kural.
In essence, this study posits that Kuriparidhal is not mere intuition but a higher functional capacity of the brain. Valluvar emphasized long ago that such perceptive individuals are essential for the administration and security of a nation.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. M.A. Aleem (Author)
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