Body Quote by Mary Roach
“I walk up and down the rows. The heads look like rubber halloween masks. They also look like human heads, but my brain has no precedent for human heads on tables or in roasting pans or anywhere other than on top of a human bodies, and so I think it has chosen to interpret the sight in a more comforting manner. - Here we are at the rubber mask factory. Look at the nice men and woman working on the masks.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, 2003
The mind struggles to process grotesque scenes, so it reframes them into familiar, less disturbing images.
In simple terms: Brain reinterprets shocking visuals into comforting ones.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge mental coping mechanisms.
Themes
psychology
perception
humor
Mood
thoughtful
lighthearted
Type
observational
analytical
When to use this quote
- museum tours
- art installations
- medical education
Key Concepts
cognitive dissonance
visual processing
Questions to Reflect On
- Why does the brain seek familiar patterns?
- Can humor aid in confronting discomfort?
A Different Perspective
Some may find the reinterpretation unsettling.
![“Typically [professors] live in their heads. … They look upon their body as a form of transport for their heads. It’s a way of getting their head to meetings.” quote by Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7e9/ken-robinson-2219_body_typically-professors-live-in-their-heads_863780.jpg)
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
