round and round

Round and

round and

round again

I have no beginning

I have no end

“I’m A Circle” by Jack Hartmann

The brain, in its uncanny machinery, responds to simple shapes profoundly. One compelling study that mapped neurons revealed an almost primordial serenade evoked by visualizing circles. These shapes — smooth, endless, unyielding in their repetition — guide our minds into a state of “affective ease.” An unwilled surrender to calm.

When your psyche processes the  jagged edges of triangles, your psyche strains. A visceral response is provoked. But, a circle promises your brain a respite. It demands less laborious contemplation, less cognitive wrestle. In the labyrinth of neural circuits, we find the circle not just a shape, but a refuge.