To start with a wonderful, rather a worthy 2min blogpost; I must inform all the viewers that this blogpost can possibly redefine the way you look at your life fundamentals.
Let's get on with the crux of the matter. But before we even get started, it is vital to understand the part of our brain, which is perhaps very stubborn and strong, towards accepting any changes, rendering the fear instinct with fight or flight responses.
The Amygdala (Latin, corpus amygdaloideum) is an almond shaped set (couple of them) of neurons located deep in the brain's medial temporal lobe.
Shown to play a key role in the processsing of emotions, the amygdala forms part of the limbic system.
In humans and other animals, this subcortical brain structure is linked to both fear responses and pleasure.
Without getting into more physiological aspects, my intention is to throw some light on the philosophical aspect, with respect to this magical part of the human brain.
Now, there are 2 school of thoughts:
A) Limiting the Amygdala: As we evolve into better species, we have devised 2 ways to control the reactions wired by the Amygdala, versus, our Neo Cortex - The advanced and more evolved part of our brain. The 2 methods to limit the Amygdala (and even reduce its size) are: Meditation and Reasoning. By these methods, practised over the due course, we can avoid what neuroscience calls the Amygdala Hijack. In simple words, we want to rely more on the neo cortex with more rationality derived responses, than the reactive or instinctive actions triggered by the Amygdala.
B) Relying on the Amygdala and rather feeding it: By doing things that delight the Amygdala. As one of the recent findings through a clinical study, shows that the Amygdala is also responsible to identify potential treasures and treats for the self being. By nurturing it, we can not only sense the direction of a treasure but also find its geolocation coordinates (hyperbole). However, like we all know, there's always a trade off when it comes to treasures. It all depends on the amount of Gun Powder we all carry, in our soulful beings, to trigger our curiosities, leading to expanding our horizon on the true potential of The Human Brain.
Offcourse, I'm a campaigner of the later ideology, which correlates the title of this post aptly: Delighting the Amygdala. Doing things we passionately crave for, possibly replenishing the Amygdala, unlocking our potential to find treasures that lie right in front of us, invisible to the naked eye or finite wisdom.
For those whom this dope of concept is intriguing, I would love to call in enthusiasts and volunteers for fuelling my upcoming post, leading to a small study in the unidirectional scope.
Thanks a lot for reading (and sharing).
I'm a Biotech Engineer by qualification and a corporate professional in Healthcare Industry.
Have an awesome blossom time ahead.
