How Scientifically Correct Is Severance?

The premise of Dan Erickson’s dystopian sci-fi collection “Severance” is novel and intriguing. The primary characters on the present work for a mysterious company referred to as Lumon who’ve perfected a brand new type of mind implant that gives its workers the proper work/life stability. When Lumon workers journey an elevator to their workplace, a pc chip of their brains prompts and erases all their reminiscences of the surface world. When they’re on the workplace, they solely know the workplace. Then, at 5 p.m. once they exit the constructing, the chip flips again, restoring their reminiscences of the surface world, however repressing all reminiscences of their workday.

One other wrinkle: Lumon is so enigmatic and secretive that they do not let their workplace employees know something about their outer selves, or their “outies.” So as to preserve loyalty, “innies” are informed fantastical tales about their “outies” which can be most assuredly not true. What’s Lumon doing? Why are they taking part in these bizarre reminiscence video games with their workers? The mysteries of “Severance” are huge and deep, and have been explored by the present’s two extant seasons.

The questions are immediately tantalizing, and “Severance” has turn into the only most-watched present in Apple TV+ historical past due to its premise and its surreal mysteries (why is Lumon elevating goats?). One other query additionally arises: is that even attainable? Is there a option to “swap off” reminiscences in a human mind that does not contain blunt-force trauma? Is there a option to subsume an individual’s total persona and exchange it with a tabula rasa, solely to revive that persona later?

The oldsters on the Dialog have seemed into it a bit of.

The Dialog article identified {that a} sure type of epilepsy surgical procedure, pioneered within the Nineteen Forties, had docs actually severing a affected person’s left and proper cerebrum into unattached halves. After surgical procedure, the sufferers’ separated mind halves had been then capable of course of info independently of each other. This did not imply that the sufferers essentially developed two separate personalities with two separate reminiscence units, but it surely did suggest that such a factor may be attainable. Certainly, some research into “break up mind” phenomenon started to come up within the Seventies about individuals who had been flipping between two units of reminiscences. After all, these research examined what occurred when each conflicting halves of a split-brain affected person had been energetic on the identical time. One “half” would reply with speech, whereas the opposite would reply in writing, and the solutions had been totally different.

The Dialog article goes deeply into particular case research, and the small print are fascinating, but it surely’s not fairly what we witness on “Severance.” In real-life, split-brain sufferers can recall sure issues once they learn and write, however different issues once they communicate. The left mind does not know what the correct hand is doing, so to talk.

As a substitute, the “Severance” process may be tapping into the hippocampus of the mind to artificially instigate a split-brain impact, however this time with all of the studying and writing expertise left intact inside each halves of the mind. As all of us recall from highschool biology, the hippocampus is the a part of the mind that divides one’s reminiscences of the day up into easily-understood “episodes.” Quibis, if you’ll. One can neglect small particulars from Quibi to Quibi, however you at all times keep in mind the entire arc of your day.

If you enter a brand new room, a brand new Quibi begins, and your mind type of “forgets” what occurred on the earlier episode because it data a brand new one. The mind chips in “Severance” might very properly be prolonging that forgetfulness, permitting a Lumon worker to neglect all the pieces about what got here earlier than the second they stepped into the elevator. The fantastical factor of the “Severance” chips is that in addition they appear to work the opposite method, erasing the work day while you depart the workplace … after which restoring the primary set of reminiscences. The interaction throughout the hippocampus does not work that method, and the “severed” a part of the mind could not be “severed again,” because it had been. When you’re watching a Quibi, it is everlasting.

Additionally, on “Severance” the “innies” have new units of reminiscences and purchased expertise all their very own. The primary characters (performed by Adam Scott, Britt Decrease, Zach Cherry, and John Turturro) work within the “macrodata refinement” division, a ability they do not know about of their outdoors lives. They know all concerning the rituals and historical past of Lumon on the within. The hippocampus would possibly reset each time you enter a room, however acquired expertise and longer-term reminiscences would stick round. The “Severance” mind chips are clearly doing one thing far more than dividing the 2 halves of the mind.

Additionally, it is established all through “Severance” that the mind chips aren’t contingent on strolling by doorways or being on the Lumon places of work. Lumon managers even have the skills to flips the chips on and off on a whim, permitting the “innies” to stroll round outdoors and vice versa. So this has much more happening than Quibi-ing the mind. The chips flip forwards and backwards between two units of reminiscences which can be alternately repressed. As a result of “innies” and “outies” have totally different reminiscences and expertise, they’ve totally different personalities. And this, we’ve to confess, is the stuff of science fiction.

However excellent science fiction. Season 3 is coming. Get hype.