lizard brain
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English[edit]
Noun[edit]
lizard brain (plural lizard brains)
- (anatomy, psychology) The most primitive part of the brain; the brain stem.
- (by extension) Any part of a person's psyche or personality dominated by instinct or impulse rather than rational thought.
- Synonyms: id, reptilian brain
- 2017 November, N. K. Jemisin, Mac Walters, chapter 8, in Mass Effect Andromeda: Initiation[1], 1st edition (Science Fiction), Titan Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 155:
- With her pistol drawn, she hurried down the ramp and into cover behind one of the landing pad’s walls, listening carefully. The hangar was as silent as—well, as a tomb. The temptation to take off her helmet was powerful, to rely on scents and sounds and instincts instead of equipment and sensors. Everything about this mess had her lizard-brain in overdrive. SAM-E’s warning about a hostile intent in the system, controlling life support and even the hangar bay doors, kept her from obeying that instinct.