Severed Mind, Severed Heart
Written By Amman Ahmed
This article will discuss the show Severance with minimal spoilers.
Human brains are inherently self-obsessed, always happy to take the spotlight in any discussions on biological beauty and complexity, so it’s no wonder that the show Severance has captured the attention of millions. The premise of the show surrounds a sinister procedure which splits a person’s consciousness into two states - one that is only active at work (an “innie”) and one that is active at all other times (an “outie”). Most importantly, neither version has the memories of the other. With one ding of an elevator they seamlessly swap dominion of their shared body. This sets the stage for a deep dive into what it means to be human.
I originally intended to use this article to explore the scientific questions that surround the unexplained mechanisms of the severance procedure, but that didn’t feel right for the scope of the show - it’s not just a sci-fi story; it’s also about love and human connection.
So, I will be embracing the show’s theme of duality and complementary halves by alternating between two focuses: the real-world links of the Severance procedure and the neurological basis of love.
One of the earliest things we learn about the brain is the idea of right and left halves. It’s an obvious question when you’re faced with the two pairs of left handed scissors in your classroom. Unfortunately, the common myths of right and left brain personalities don’t hold up beyond the playground. Experiments using brain scans show that the general level of activity is comparable between the two halves regardless of personality. Where activity does differ is with the functional specialisation of brain regions. For example, the left hemisphere hosts Broca’s area, responsible for speech. More broadly, most muscles receive input from the opposite side of the brain: right hemisphere for left-sided muscles and vice versa. This provides a steady basis for the inherent split of some brain functions.
A key tenet of brain function is the capacity to form concepts. By forming concepts, the brain is able to categorise information by commonalities to help navigate the world. Inherited concepts come prepackaged and are consistent across time and populations. Romantic love is a key inherited concept, best characterised by the push towards idealisation of the lover. Our understanding of this concept comes not just from neurological studies, but the consistency of this idealisation, throughout human existence, in the arts. Dante idealised Beatrice, a woman he knew for a brief moment. Romeo idealised Juliet, with just one fleeting glance. And in Severance? Irving idealised Burt, in spite of everything he knows of the world.
Our knowledge of brain function between the left and right side is well utilised in studies of split-brain patients. These patients usually suffer from epilepsy and are treated with surgical cutting of the corpus callosum (a connecting structure between the two hemispheres). While data is variable, some studies do show a lack of communication between these patient’s hemispheres. Typical cases include an inability for the patient to vocalise something they’ve seen with their left eye, as this would be processed by the right hemisphere, which lacks Broca’s area. The most intriguing split-brain patient was described as a “theist-atheist”. When asked if he believes in God, his right hand pointed to yes and his left hand pointed to no. Further questioning revealed that his right hemisphere experienced greater loneliness and his left hemisphere had lower self-esteem. Here we can see some recapitulation of the ability of the severance procedure to transform the unbelieving, dissatisfied outie Mark into a highly optimistic innie Mark, who readily absorbed the same pseudo-religious book his outie rejected.
Not only does the brain possess the capacity to go against its theological views, but it also has a very well-studied ability to go against its logical sense. Again, looking to literature, lovers are often described as being blind to the world around them. Nietzsche embraces this: “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” This madness has roots in the overactivity of the serotonergic system during early phases of romantic love, paralleling serotonin levels in OCD. These neurotransmitter levels facilitate the uni-focused obsession of lovers. Furthermore, there is observed deactivation of frontal areas related to judgement when thinking about a loved one. The brain circuitry facilitates the madness of love that drives outie Mark to take the plunge into a decision that is inherently reckless and life-threatening.
One final case that relates to the splitting of brain functions comes from a 1994 case study of a boy named Neil (anonymised) with a pineal tumour. He displayed severe anterograde amnesia, but it came with a caveat. While he couldn’t vocalise things he had done after developing the tumour, he was able to retrieve these memories by writing about them. In the very same moment he failed to speak an answer aloud, he would successfully be able to write that answer and forget what he had written. It would be easy to sensationalise this patient for the purpose of the article, but the most striking note from his report came not from a researcher, but his mother. Upon discovering his ability to write down memories, he shared with her “Mum I saw tulips on the way home” and it was the first time in two years she had been able to learn something about her son’s day from him. Thankfully, Neil’s parents disallowed the researchers from conducting further studies after a year of studies served only to benefit the scientific understanding of his case and not offer any benefit to his life. What we can take from this story is the power of the brain to persist in spite of great injuries. Humans find a way.
The human brain deserves to be self-obsessed. It controls the movements that let us explore the world and the experience of love that follows. While the Severance procedure may not be fully realised yet in real life, we can see echoes of its effects in various neurological pathologies. Brief glances that we have seen of the severance “chip” show it located in white matter regions related to memory transfer across brain regions, suggesting a more memory-focused approach. What we do see in the show is the ability for some memories and feelings to bleed between the innie and outie, especially memories of love. It could be that this profound, inherited capacity to love someone is able to overpower the severance chip, just as it overpowers our sense of judgement and focus. Severance is about science and mystery, but it is also about humans and our deep-rooted capability to love each other in spite of the unknowns of the world around us.
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