Emotional inteligence
62/661zones to the emotional urgency. 12 At these moments therational mind is swamped by the emotional. One waythe prefrontal cortex acts as an efficient manager ofemotion—weighing reactions before acting—is bydampening the signals for activation sent out by theamygdala and other limbic centers—something like aparent who stops an impulsive child from grabbing andtells the child to ask properly (or wait) for what it wantsinstead. 13The key “off switch” for distressing emotion seems tobe the left prefrontal lobe. Neuropsychologists studyingmoods in patients with injuries to parts of the frontallobes have determined that one of the tasks of the leftfrontal lobe is to act as a neural thermostat, regulatingunpleasant emotions. The right prefrontal lobes are aseat of negative feelings like fear and aggression, whilethe left lobes keep those raw emotions in check, probablyby inhibiting the right lobe. 14 In one group of strokepatients, for example, those whose lesions were in theleft prefrontal cortex were prone to catastrophic worriesand fears; those with lesions on the right were "undulycheerful"; during neurological exams they joked aroundand were so laid back they clearly did not care how wellthey did. 15 And then there was the case of the happyhusband: a man whose right prefrontal lobe had beenpartially removed in surgery for a brain malformation.
His wife told physicians that after the operation he underwenta dramatic personality change, becoming lesseasily upset and, she was happy to say, more affectionate.16The left prefrontal lobe, in short, seems to be part of aneural circuit that can switch off, or at least dampendown, all but the strongest negative surges of emotion.If the amygdala often acts as an emergency trigger, theleft prefrontal lobe appears to be part of the brain's “offswitch” for disturbing emotion: the amygdala proposes,the prefrontal lobe disposes. These prefrontal-limbicconnections are crucial in mental life far beyond finetuningemotion; they are essential for navigating usthrough the decisions that matter most in life.HARMONIZING EMOTION ANDTHOUGHT63/661The connections between the amygdala (and relatedlimbic structures) and the neocortex are the hub of thebattles or cooperative treaties struck between head andheart, thought and feeling. This circuitry explains whyemotion is so crucial to effective thought, both in makingwise decisions and in simply allowing us to thinkclearly.Take the power of emotions to disrupt thinking itself.Neuroscientists use the term "working memory" for the
- Page 12 and 13: 12/661has rushed a welter of self-h
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- Page 18 and 19: PART ONETHE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
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- Page 26 and 27: 26/661the face blanch as blood is s
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- Page 40 and 41: moment passes, those so possessed h
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- Page 102 and 103: 102/661Gary was emotionally flat, c
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His wife told physicians that after the operation he underwent
a dramatic personality change, becoming less
easily upset and, she was happy to say, more affectionate.
16
The left prefrontal lobe, in short, seems to be part of a
neural circuit that can switch off, or at least dampen
down, all but the strongest negative surges of emotion.
If the amygdala often acts as an emergency trigger, the
left prefrontal lobe appears to be part of the brain's “off
switch” for disturbing emotion: the amygdala proposes,
the prefrontal lobe disposes. These prefrontal-limbic
connections are crucial in mental life far beyond finetuning
emotion; they are essential for navigating us
through the decisions that matter most in life.
HARMONIZING EMOTION AND
THOUGHT
63/661
The connections between the amygdala (and related
limbic structures) and the neocortex are the hub of the
battles or cooperative treaties struck between head and
heart, thought and feeling. This circuitry explains why
emotion is so crucial to effective thought, both in making
wise decisions and in simply allowing us to think
clearly.
Take the power of emotions to disrupt thinking itself.
Neuroscientists use the term "working memory" for the
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