While doing some additional research for my upcoming (May 28) TechNation webinar on the 7 Triggers to Yes – The Magic of Influence, I have discovered some great things about the amygdala. The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped part of the limbic system of our brains. The limbic system is the old part of our brain and is responsible for the autonomic functions like breathing, heartbeat etc. It is the part of the brain that protects us in times of danger.
The amygdala is the gatekeeper of emotions. Its main function is to generate the needed triggers to cause us to freeze, flee or fight in times of danger. Its response is 7 times faster than the thinking brain thus we are under its control from the beginning of everything. The first response is always emotional.
The amygdala does communicate with the thinking brain and this communication may lead to the thinking brain telling the amygdala to “mellow out, there is no threat.” You see a snake and the amygdala freezes you and prepares you to run away. The thinking brain realizes it’s a stick and you settle down and change your shorts.
An interesting thing I discovered is that psychopaths have a smaller amygdala than the normal population. Since the amygdala is the center of emotion, these people can’t experience the same empathy and concern for others. This is why a person can cheat and steal and use others, leaving carcasses on their way to “success.” We call these people successful businessmen. In cases where the communication between the amygdala and the thinking brain is damaged, these people are called serial killers.
Another interesting fact is that stored memories contain the emotions we felt at the time. Without the emotions, there are no memories. I often use the term “Significant Emotional Event” to describe those memories that carry a strong emotion with them. An example is 9/11. We all know who we were with, what we were doing, how we felt etc. the first time we heard about the tragic event of that day. That is an obvious memory-emotion connection. However all memories store the emotion along with the facts. Actually we remember the emotions more that the facts and that is why witnesses all have different recollections of the events.
Please join me for the TechNation 7 Triggers webinar where I will discuss seven triggers that influence the amygdala to make the quick yes decision before the thinking brain gets a shot. These are seven powerful persuasive triggers. I will present the webinar on May 28th, at 2PM EDT. Mark your calendar.
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