Fear. Fear is one of the emotions that cognitive neuroscientists understand quite well. The amygdalae oversee the important task of learning, and remembering what you should be afraid of. For example, when you touch a hot pan you get burned. The amydalae link sight, the pan, with touch, you got burned. And Vuala! Now you know not to touch a hot pan!
But that’s not it! Theres more! The fear system is so incredibly efficient that you don’t even have to register what’s going on for your brain to respond. When a speeding car swerves and cuts you off on the road, you will feel the fear before you understand it. Signals travel in between the amygbalae and your crisis system before you have a chance to comprehend what happened. Another interesting thing is that fear is contagious. Why? Because the amygbalae not only help people recognize fear in the faces of others, but also scan for it.
People or animals with damage to the amygdalae lose these skills. The texture of life is ironed out, the world seems less compelling to them because their excitement anatomy is damaged.
But that’s not it! Theres more! The fear system is so incredibly efficient that you don’t even have to register what’s going on for your brain to respond. When a speeding car swerves and cuts you off on the road, you will feel the fear before you understand it. Signals travel in between the amygbalae and your crisis system before you have a chance to comprehend what happened. Another interesting thing is that fear is contagious. Why? Because the amygbalae not only help people recognize fear in the faces of others, but also scan for it.
People or animals with damage to the amygdalae lose these skills. The texture of life is ironed out, the world seems less compelling to them because their excitement anatomy is damaged.
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