Lesson 14 : Emotional Intelligence and Personality
Emotional brain
The emotional brain is called “Amygdala” derived from the Greek word “almond”
It is an almond shaped cluster of interconnected structures placed above the brain stem, on either side of the head. The human amygdala is larger than that of other primates.
All environmental stimuli that are received by the individual, first pass through Amygdala, the emotional brain and then only reach the Neo Cortex, the rational brain. Therefore individual first reacts emotionally to stimuli and then only rationally.
Removal or mal functioning of Amygdala leads to
Affective blindness - lack of feelings and emotions
Not able to understand emotional significance of events
Uninterested in people, preferring isolation with no human contact
Amygdala acts as a store house of memory ; life is without personal meanings
Participants