Alex Honnold stood on a narrow ledge with his back to the stone rock face and admired the view over Yosemite Valley. He was 1,800 feet off the ground and had used no ropes to get there. My hands feel sweaty just thinking about it, but he felt no fear. Cognitive neuroscientist Jane Joseph was curious. Was Honnold’s lack of fear linked to his amygdala?
The amygdala is the name given to a tiny set of neurons deep inside the brain — about 1.5 cm in length. In fact there are two amygdala, one in each hemisphere. This structure plays a key role in our experiences of emotion and is often described as our fear centre.
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