What part of your brain makes this "fight or flight' decision for you?
1 Answer
The amygdala makes this decision for you.
Explanation:
First, to know what we are talking about here, you need to know what the amygdala is.
The amygdala is responsible for the response and memory of emotions, especially fear. This "fear' is what creates the flight or fight response.
Why is this important?
Because, this is the reason why you ran from that guy who tried to fight you two weeks ago. This is the reason why you slapped your brother when he wanted to fight you. Without the amygdala, we would fear nothing.
To prove this point here is a good example,
Numerous studies have been performed where researches have used deep lesioning (procedure where a thin wire is inserted into the brain to remove or terminate a part of the brain) to remove the amygdala of rats. After this procedure, the rats were said to have no fear of anything, even cats. The removal of the amygdala had taken away the rats' memory of fear, therefore the rats did not fear anything!
How does this "flight or fight" thing work?
- A threat is perceived
- The autonomic nervous system automatically puts body on alert.
- The adrenal cortex automatically releases stress hormones.
- The heart automatically beats harder and more rapidly.
- Breathing automatically becomes more rapid.
- Thyroid gland automatically stimulates the metabolism.
- Larger muscles automatically receive more oxygenated blood.
Are there able to be false alarms?
Even though the fight or flight response is automatic, it isn't always accurate. In fact most of the time when the fight or flight response is triggered it is a false alarm, which means there is no threat to survival. The part of the brain the initiates the automatic part of the fight or flight response, the amygdala, can't distinguish between a real threat and a fake threat to survival.
Is there a place that I can get more information at?
Yes! Check out this video for more info!
What are the signs that our fight or flight response has been stimulated (activated)?
When our fight or flight response is activated, sequences of nerve cell firing occur and chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol are released into our bloodstream. These patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release cause our body to undergo a series of very dramatic changes.
Check "How does this "flight or fight" thing work?" section for the changes you go through when it is activated.
