My amygdala and me (not-exactly-a-review of Steve Volk’s FRINGE-OLOGY)

Fringe-ology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable-And Couldn’t by Steve Volk

So, the amygdala is the part of your brain that makes you anxious either when you are in danger or when you are confronted with ideas that defy you understanding of the world. The amygdala is the part of the brain that allows people to hold onto a comfortable worldview even when they are repeatedly presented with facts that undermine that worldview.

This book is going to to upset your amygadala.

And if you think the fact that you are smart, educated, informed person allows you to bypass your amygdala, think again. One of the major points this book makes is that oftentimes the very must educated and accomplished people have the sturdiest amygdalas. They have REALLY invested in establishing a worldview, and they don’t want it trifled with.

Read the book. When your shoulders start to get tense and you feel the urge to giggle, ask yourself: is that your mind reacting or your lizard-brain?