Chapter 03 of 5
The Fear Centre?
The amygdala, fear, and why there's no single fear button.
- Anatomy
Two almonds
The amygdala is a pair of almond-shaped clusters deep inside the brain, one on each side.
- 1930s
Fearless monkeys
Researchers found that monkeys with damage to this region lost their normal fear, calmly approaching snakes they would usually avoid.
- Patient S.M.
A woman without fear
A woman known as S.M., with a rare condition that destroyed both amygdalae, showed almost no fear of snakes, spiders or scary films.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
What did patient S.M., who had no amygdalae, still experience?
😊 What Are Feelings For?
- 01Darwin's FacesAre facial expressions a universal language — or less than they seem?
- 02The Body Feels FirstDoes your heart race because you're afraid — or are you afraid because it races?
- 03The Fear Centre?The amygdala, fear, and why there's no single fear button.
- 04Built, Not Born?The newer idea that the brain constructs emotions rather than reacting with them.
- 05Riding the WaveWhat research says actually helps with difficult emotions.