TOURISM AND NEUROSCIENCE: A PRELIMINARY APPROACH

Abstract

Tourism studies, generally considered multi-, inter- and even post-disciplinary, has not yet embraced neuroscience, despite the fact that the latter has been extending its domain in the last decades, opening up to human consciousness, as well as to social issues, arts and the humanities. This paper argues that it is also necessary for tourism social studies to take into account recent developments in this field. Bearing in mind a broad conceptualization of the tourist experience, an attempt will be made to indicate formulations in neuroscience which potentially cast new light on various aspects of tourism. The following points are evidenced: post-cartesian embodiment (seemingly already a common background); so-called qualia, linked to phenomenological experience; the issue of the ‘extended mind’; the discovery of mirror neurons; neuroethics, which can clearly be seen in relation to the ethics of tourism. In conclusion, the recent popularization of neuroscience through brain imaging is briefly explored.