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Sensing Fear (December 17, 2004, Two)

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Program Summary

Ever wonder how your mother always knew when you were lying? She may have an exceptional amygdala, the collection of centrally located brain cells that reads facial expressions and assigns emotions to them. It wasn’t the lie itself that gave you away; it was your fear of getting caught that did it.

So how does the amygdala do it? When we’re afraid, our eyes open wide, and a recent study found that the additional amount of sclera (white of the eye) displayed during a fearful reaction is the trigger. The amygdala “sees” this extra eye white and interprets it as fear. The amygdala has the same reaction to an expression of surprise, also a wide-eyed emotion. How does it tell the difference? It doesn’t. It alerts other parts of the brain, which jump in to investigate whether or not you should be scared, too.

Guests

Paul J. Whalen, assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Wisconsin Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior in Madison, Wisconsin

Related Links and Resources

Wired News, September 2, 2003: What a Half-Smile Really Means
National Geographic, November 16, 2004: Fear Is Spread by Body Language, Study Says
Society for Neuroscience Brain Briefings, March 1998: Fear and the Amygdala
Neuroscience for Kids

For Discussion:

• What is the amygdala? What is its function within the brain?
• Can you tell if someone is afraid? What are the non-verbal cues?
• What does the amygdala interpret as a sign of fear? What does it do with that information?
• How is the rest of the brain involved in reacting to expressions of emotion?
• What happens if the amygdala is damaged or not “wired” properly? How can understanding its role in interpreting fear help in treating phobias and anxiety?

Activities

Brain basics. Neuroscience for Kids is the best all-around site for learning about the brain, with thorough explanations of brain anatomy and function and plenty of interactives. Take a three-dimensional tour of the brain at The Secret Life of the Brain : 3-D Brain Anatomy (Shockwave required).

I second that emotion. An easy introduction to emotions and the brain can be had at Emotions, part of the Your Brain exhibit from England’s online Science Museum. It discusses the interaction of brain and emotion and the parts of the brain that control emotion; it also examines emotions individually. Lots of photographs illustrate the discussion. Have students display facial expressions to the rest of the class, which will label the expressions with the proper emotions. Discuss the visual cues that identify each expression. Are any of the expressions confusing? Why?

Is it all in your head? No, as it turns out. Fear is also processed by the enteric autonomous system, what we call the gut. Learn more about this second brain at Whyfiles’ Things That Go Bump in the Night, a look at our visceral reaction to fear.

Far-out phobias. We’ve heard of claustrophobia, agoraphobia, and arachnophobia. What’s ailurophobia, kymophobia, and Walloonphobia? Find out at The Phobia List. It may seem funny, but it isn’t humorous for the unfortunate people who suffer from them. Students can learn how phobias are named, then invent some of their own.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

Hear the Program

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