One of the most recognisable shapes is the heart, featured in this months magazine cover not just because of our Red Cross connection but also because of the St Valentines Day date.
In ancient times the heart, rather than the brain, was considered to be the seat of thought, including memory and imagination.
There was much argument about this, and it wasnt until 1628 that Englishman William Harvey proved that blood circulated and the heart was actually a pump. But its easy to understand why the heart is associated with thoughts and emotions because its affected by our moods.
Unlike the rest of our organs, the heart can be felt pulsing – sometimes we feel it pounding in our chest. When were sad we can feel a vague ache in the cardiac region, which is caused by the brain-heart link known as the autonomic nervous system.
When were scared or excited, the brain sends a message through the spinal cord (hence the tingling feeling) to the heart to quicken its pace.
Many expressions involve the heart. Being light-hearted or having a heavy heart describes your happy or unhappy mood. A kind person has a heart of gold, a cruel one has a heart of stone.
You give your heart to your lover, who may go and break it. Although you cant actually break a heart, it can be damaged by long-term emotional stress, which explains why someone who dies soon after their long-term partner is said to have died of a broken heart.
Your heart is in your mouth when youre nervous or in your boots when youre depressed. When you cant hide your emotions, then your hearts on your sleeve.
Hearty puzzling!
Recent Comments