The Amygdala:Unconscious Memories,Emotional Intelligence and Behaviorial Control(2012)XviDAAC-JVaLaMaLiNi avi

academic | hijack | violation personal space | cognitive styles

The amygdalae (singular: amygdala; /əˈmɪɡdələ/; also corpus amygdaloideum; Latin, from
Greek ἀμυγδαλή, amygdalē, 'almond', 'tonsil'), listed in the Gray's Anatomy textbook
as the nucleus amygdalæ, are two almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep and medially
within the temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans. Shown in
research to perform a primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and
emotional reactions, the amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.

Social interaction

Amygdala volume correlates positively with both the size (the number of contacts a person has)
and the complexity (the number of different groups to which a person belongs) of social networks.
Individuals with larger amygdalae had larger and more complex social networks. They were also
better able to make accurate social judgments about other persons' faces. It is hypothesized that
larger amygdalae allow for greater emotional intelligence, enabling greater societal integration
and cooperation with others.

The amygdala processes reactions to violations concerning personal space. These reactions are
absent in persons in whom the amygdala is damaged bilaterally. Furthermore, the amygdala is
found to be activated in fMRI when people observe that others are physically close to them, such
as when a person being scanned knows that an experimenter is standing immediately next to the
scanner, versus standing at a distance.

Aggression

Animal studies have shown that stimulating the amygdala appears to increase both sexual and
aggressive behavior. Likewise, studies using brain lesions have shown that harm to the amygdala
may produce the opposite effect. Thus, it appears that this part of the brain may play a role in
the display and modulation of aggression.

Amygdala hijack is a term coined by Daniel Goleman in his 1996 book Emotional Intelligence:
Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Drawing on the work of Joseph E. LeDoux, Goleman uses the term
to describe emotional responses from people which are immediate and overwhelming, and out of
measure with the actual stimulus because it has triggered a much more significant emotional
threat.

Positive hijacks

Goleman points out that "'not all limbic hijackings are distressing. When a joke strikes someone
as so uproarious that their laughter is almost explosive, that, too, is a limbic response. It is
at work also in moments of intense joy."

He also cites the case of a man strolling by a canal when he saw a girl staring petrified at the
water. "efore he knew quite why, he had jumped into the water — in his coat and tie. Only once
he was in the water did he realize that the girl was staring in shock at a toddler who had fallen
in — whom he was able to rescue."

Emotional relearning

LeDoux was positive about the possibility of learning to control the amygdala's hair-trigger role
in emotional outbursts. "Once your emotional system learns something, it seems you never let it
go. What therapy does is teach you how to control it — it teaches your neocortex how to inhibit
your amygdala. The propensity to act is suppressed, while your basic emotion about it remains in
a subdued form."