Alita was such a good movie. You should go see it. It needs to make money so they keep making them. Damn it James Cameron, fuck your stupid Avatar franchise, Alita is what we need.
ENDORPHIN WITHDRAWAL: When humans and other animals are around their close companions, their brains secrete endorphins that ease anxiety and produce happiness. When they feel separation from those companions, the brain stops producing endorphins, leading to a kind of chemical withdrawal. Some call this “love withdrawal.”
Alita learns of Ido’s death in BATTLE ANGEL ALITA Chapter 26, “Collapse.” [Read right to left, top to bottom, manga-stylee]
I read an analogy once likening our sense of security and well-being to a fuel tank replenished largely by positive interactions with our friends and loved ones. Abundant nurturance, support, affection, and validation results in a healthy “fuel” level; in the absence of such affirmation and nurturance, the tank may very well be depleted or even empty. This in itself may seem obvious, but the secondary implication is that if we suffer rejection or loss on a sufficiently full tank, the loss may hurt, but it won’t destroy us. On the other hand, if our “tank” is fueled ONLY by the nurturance of a single person or a small group of people, the loss can be devastating when that energy is withdrawn.
[Probably more accurately characterized as “oxytocin withdrawal” in this case, but I think the basic principle is sound and beautifully illustrated here.]
