--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Along with our many human propensities…" description: "\"Along with our many human propensities, we evolved a huge cerebral cortex with which we make decisions.\" — Helen Fisher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/helen-fisher-2469_cerebral_along-with-our-many-human-propensities-w_814101.png" --- # Along with our many human propensities, we evolved a huge… ![“Along with our many human propensities, we evolved a huge cerebral cortex with which we make decisions.” quote by Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/helen-fisher-2469_cerebral_along-with-our-many-human-propensities-w_814101.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/helen-fisher-2469_cerebral_along-with-our-many-human-propensities-w_814101.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/helen-fisher-2469_cerebral_along-with-our-many-human-propensities-w_814101.png) > “Along with our many human propensities, we evolved a huge cerebral cortex with which we make decisions.” [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our large brain enables complex decision‑making, shaped by innate tendencies. **In simple terms:** Brain allows complex choices. Key Takeaway Leverage cognitive strengths while recognizing biases. Themes cognition decision‑making human nature Mood analytical insightful Type scientific practical When to use this quote - leadership - personal finance - relationship counseling Key Concepts Neuroscience evolutionary psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do innate tendencies affect your choices? - What strategies improve rational decision‑making? A Different Perspective Decisions can be swayed by irrational biases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cerebral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cerebral/) [Cerebral Cortex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cerebral-cortex-295800/) [Cortex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cortex-283580/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions/) [Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge/) [Huge Cerebral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge-cerebral-295802/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human Propensities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-propensities-295803/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Propensities Evolved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propensities-evolved-295801/) [Propensity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propensity/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) ## Related quotes > [“Civilization is a product of the cerebral cortex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/civilization-is-a-product-of-the-cerebral-cortex/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [There is one brain organ that is optimised for understanding and articulating logical processes and that is the outer layer of the brain, called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/there-is-one-brain-organ-that-is-optimised-for-understanding-and/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The human race is just getting started… The cerebral cortex is only a hundred thousand years old. It's still a baby, sucking teat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/the-human-race-is-just-getting-started-the-cerebral-cortex-is-only-a/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Everybody goes into different dimensional planes. You do it every night when you dream. You are journeying into other dimensional planes. Dreams are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-goes-into-different-dimensional-planes-you-do-it-every/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Words are a big deal to me. I'm verbal and visual and I'm always struggling to find a way to smash those two parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-jones/words-are-a-big-deal-to-me-i-m-verbal-and-visual-and-i-m-always/) [Arthur Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-jones/) > [I am delighted that I have found a new reaction to demonstrate even to the blind the structure of the interstitial stroma of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camillo-golgi/i-am-delighted-that-i-have-found-a-new-reaction-to-demonstrate-even/) [Camillo Golgi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camillo-golgi/) > [The Blue Brain project expects to have a full human-scale simulation of the cerebral cortex by 2018. I think that's a little optimistic, actually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-blue-brain-project-expects-to-have-a-full-human-scale-simulation/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [There is no other species on Earth that does science. It is, so far, entirely a human invention, evolved by natural selection in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-no-other-species-on-earth-that-does-science-it-is-so-far/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [What distinguishes our species is thought. The cerebral cortex is in a way a liberation. We need no longer be trapped in the genetically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/what-distinguishes-our-species-is-thought-the-cerebral-cortex-is-in-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“It's also awkward to be so short you can see all the way up into someone's cerebral cortex, but welcome to my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-poston/it-s-also-awkward-to-be-so-short-you-can-see-all-the-way-up-into/) [Ashley Poston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-poston/) > [“The cerebral cortex, the outer ‘skin’ of the brain, contains as many as ten billion neurons. This complexity is daunting. Yet it is out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/the-cerebral-cortex-the-outer-skin-of-the-brain-contains-as-many-as/) [James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/) > [“Memories of a pleasurable event are stored in the cerebral cortex so we won’t forget them. It may sound strange, but in a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meik-wiking/memories-of-a-pleasurable-event-are-stored-in-the-cerebral-cortex-so/) [Meik Wiking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meik-wiking/) > [“When I was cooking I enjoyed a sense of being ‘out’ of myself. The action of dicing vegetables and warming oil made my hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/when-i-was-cooking-i-enjoyed-a-sense-of-being-out-of-myself-the/) [Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/) > [“The minds of others are stranger depths to employ our hearts to than our own wonderland of cerebral cortex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-varnadore/the-minds-of-others-are-stranger-depths-to-employ-our-hearts-to-than/) [Jennifer Varnadore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-varnadore/) > [“the cerebral cortex that has grown enormously over the last few millennia, overshadowing the ancient, instinctive lower brain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-cerebral-cortex-that-has-grown-enormously-over-the-last-few/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## More by Helen Fisher > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Of all the foods we share, there is nothing more primordial than meat. It's no surprise that meat-eaters still want a partner who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/of-all-the-foods-we-share-there-is-nothing-more-primordial-than-meat/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [When chimps threaten, they open their mouth and show their teeth. It's a little like waving a knife in front of you. It's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/when-chimps-threaten-they-open-their-mouth-and-show-their-teeth-it-s/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [For so many generations, a woman's only career path was to marry well and to marry up. Those days have changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/for-so-many-generations-a-woman-s-only-career-path-was-to-marry-well/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Almost always, when I'm on TV, the producers who call me, who negotiate what we're going to say, is a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/almost-always-when-i-m-on-tv-the-producers-who-call-me-who-negotiate/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Jealousy can even be good for love. One partner may feel secretly flattered when the other is mildly jealous. And catching someone flirting with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/jealousy-can-even-be-good-for-love-one-partner-may-feel-secretly/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [In that early-love stage, you're in that state of exhilaration. You talk till dawn. You become obsessed with 'What does he think?' 'Does he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/in-that-early-love-stage-you-re-in-that-state-of-exhilaration-you/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“...if patterns of human love subtly change, all sorts of social and political atrocities can escalate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/if-patterns-of-human-love-subtly-change-all-sorts-of-social-and/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [People have been looking for love potions since hunter-gatherer societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/people-have-been-looking-for-love-potions-since-hunter-gatherer/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Women's worst invention was the plow. With the beginning of plow agriculture, men's roles became extremely powerful. Women lost their ancient jobs as collectors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/women-s-worst-invention-was-the-plow-with-the-beginning-of-plow/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [As women in industrial societies join the paid workforce, they gain the economic means to depart unhappy marriages more easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/as-women-in-industrial-societies-join-the-paid-workforce-they-gain/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [For men, being too put-together implies femininity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/for-men-being-too-put-together-implies-femininity/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Why do we feel jealousy? Therapists often regard the demon as a scar of childhood trauma or a symptom of a psychological problem. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/why-do-we-feel-jealousy-therapists-often-regard-the-demon-as-a-scar/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [In America, we are demanding everything from our marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/in-america-we-are-demanding-everything-from-our-marriage/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Despite the myth that men are less committed, they are predisposed to desire marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/despite-the-myth-that-men-are-less-committed-they-are-predisposed-to/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) [Explore all 164 Helen Fisher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) ## More Cerebral quotes > [I'm simply saying that our deepest thoughts, desires and preoccupations manifest themselves in art, whether we intend them to or not. That's what art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/i-m-simply-saying-that-our-deepest-thoughts-desires-and/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [I find a difference in British spy fiction and American spy fiction. In the American version, it's more militaristic, partly because the CIA has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-cumming/i-find-a-difference-in-british-spy-fiction-and-american-spy-fiction/) [Charles Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-cumming/) > [I consider the differences between man and animals in propensities, feelings, and intellectual faculties, to be the result of the same cause as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/i-consider-the-differences-between-man-and-animals-in-propensities/) [Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/) > [I'm just a man on a mission, to prove my disability hasn't won](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hensel/i-m-just-a-man-on-a-mission-to-prove-my-disability-hasn-t-won/) [Robert M. Hensel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hensel/) > [I'm not cerebral in any way. Education, for me, was a nightmare. You put someone talking in front of me, and I cannot engage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-whittaker/i-m-not-cerebral-in-any-way-education-for-me-was-a-nightmare-you-put/) [Jodie Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-whittaker/) > [When I ask people what they think of when they hear the term 'cerebral palsy,' I usually get one of two responses. They either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maysoon-zayid/when-i-ask-people-what-they-think-of-when-they-hear-the-term-cerebral/) [Maysoon Zayid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maysoon-zayid/) > [About as close you can get to the perfect cerebral thriller: searingly smart, ridiculously funny, and fast as hell... I defy anybody to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/about-as-close-you-can-get-to-the-perfect-cerebral-thriller-searingly/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [You're told that you're in your head too much, a phrase that's often deployed against the quiet and cerebral. Or maybe there's another word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/you-re-told-that-you-re-in-your-head-too-much-a-phrase-that-s-often/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [When cerebral processes enter into sports, you start screwing up. It's like the Constitution, which says separate church and state. You have to separate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lee/when-cerebral-processes-enter-into-sports-you-start-screwing-up-it-s/) [Bill Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lee/) > [My comedy is for adults, but you can have your kids listen to it. They won't get all the jokes because hopefully I'm more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cho/my-comedy-is-for-adults-but-you-can-have-your-kids-listen-to-it-they/) [Henry Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cho/) > [I feel like I became a cerebral athlete. I studied other people and tried to emulate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-agholor/i-feel-like-i-became-a-cerebral-athlete-i-studied-other-people-and/) [Nelson Agholor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-agholor/) > [It is certain that there may be extraordinary mental activity with an extremely small absolute mass of nervous matter: thus the wonderfully diversified instincts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-is-certain-that-there-may-be-extraordinary-mental-activity-with-an/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I regard music therapy as a tool of great power in many neurological disorders -- Parkinson's and Alzheimer's -- because of its unique capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/i-regard-music-therapy-as-a-tool-of-great-power-in-many-neurological/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [ One of the biggest breaks we had actually, one of the biggest, the hardest I laughed on the movie \[The Hangover\] was the baby… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/one-of-the-biggest-breaks-we-had-actually-one-of-the-biggest-the/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) [Browse all 154 Cerebral quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cerebral/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Along with our many human propensities, we evolved a huge cerebral cortex with which we make decisions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Fisher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/along-with-our-many-human-propensities-we-evolved-a-huge-cerebral/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cerebral" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/along-with-our-many-human-propensities-we-evolved-a-huge-cerebral/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/helen-fisher-2469_cerebral_along-with-our-many-human-propensities-w_814101.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/helen-fisher-2469_cerebral_along-with-our-many-human-propensities-w_814101.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd0/helen-fisher-2469_cerebral_along-with-our-many-human-propensities-w_814101.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Along with our many human propensities, we evolved a huge cerebral cortex with which we make decisions.” — Helen Fisher", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Helen Fisher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Along with our many human propensities,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/along-with-our-many-human-propensities-we-evolved-a-huge-cerebral/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/along-with-our-many-human-propensities-we-evolved-a-huge-cerebral/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```