How did 20th-century biochemistry and physiological psychology encourage central-state materialism?

In the mid-20th century, advancements in biochemistry and physiological psychology significantly bolstered the plausibility of central-state materialism. These scientific fields provided empirical evidence that encouraged philosophers to move away from dualistic or purely behaviorist accounts of the mind, suggesting instead that mental states are identical to physical states of the brain or central nervous system.1

By demonstrating that psychological processes—such as thinking, learning, and perception—could be studied as functions of the nervous system, these disciplines helped integrate psychology into a unified, mechanistic scientific framework. This progress led many philosophers to argue that mental events, processes, and states could be identified with specific brain events and processes, effectively reducing the need for non-physical explanations of human behavior. Consequently, central-state materialism emerged as a serious philosophical theory, aiming to resolve the mind-body problem by aligning mental phenomena with the physical reality described by modern science.23415