Puzzle Peaceing

Why are we biologically wired to click on the violence?In the inaugural episode of Puzzle Peaceing, host and legal researcher Camila breaks down the "biological glitch" that makes our brains mistake shock for high-value information. From a dark neurological study at the University of Amsterdam to the archival violence of the 18th century Caribbean, we explore how the human craving for friction is weaponized by modern algorithms, media headlines, and geopolitical lawmakers.Drawing on her master's research regarding the constitutional codification of migrant children in South America, Camila reveals how the state uses the language of crisis (words like "surge" and "liability") to trigger our reward systems and strip away human context at the border.Reaction is easy, it's just biology but peace is rigorous.Ep. 1 Reading List:-The Brain's Reward System & Words: Writing for Impact by Bill Birchard (Referencing the University of Amsterdam study on neurological responses to negative/violent descriptions).-Archival Violence: Dispossessed Lives: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Archive by Professor Marisa J. Fuentes.Independent Research: -Camila’s master's research on the constitutional codification and legal framing of child migrants across the Americas.

We think we reason our way to moral conclusions. Jonathan Haidt says we don't. The gut decides first. The brain catches up after, building a case for a verdict that's already been reached.In this episode, I walk through The Righteous Mind, the book quietly reshaping how I think about peace work, public discourse, and how international law actually holds up under pressure.This is Part 1: the diagnosis. Part 2, out next week.