14. Limbic System

Maybe it's not strictly true, but got this from Robert Sapolsky (Stanford neurobiology professor): ▶ this video His opinion, or the best understandings on this, might have changed though. From the YT transcript: > Here's somebody taking Valium for anxiety, and here's somebody taking Valium to relax their muscles. What's up with that? It's the exact same thing. And it is a very James-Lange moment. What's part of anxiety about? It's monitoring the level of tension in your body. It's getting feedback from muscle tone. He seems to be suggesting that the mode of action for Valium to reduce anxiety is that of reducing muscle tone. Not an expert, so I can't argue about it.

The argument makes more sense when you realise that Valium/Diazepam is basically a muscle relaxant. Edit: Source here, happy to hear from another domain expert refuting this ▶ this video

Anger is chemical and not psychological and will pass. See Sapolsky's discussion of the Limbic system: ▶ this video When I am angry I am self aware enough to wait until the chemicals are gone in order to discuss things. I don't think this is unhealthy in any way. In fact, I usually don't like the feeling of anger and look forward with happiness to the calm that will follow. It is interesting that the original source of anger becomes resolved once the chemicals are gone. I found it interesting that the Inuits do the same thing.

The "active amygdala = no empathy" point does not jibe with my lay understanding of the physical phenomenon of empathy. That's the only one that I don't believe models our physiology in a useful way. The rest match up with some of the stuff I've read/watched. Watch some videos by Robert Sapolsky on YouTube. He's a neurostuff prof at Stanford. Good presentations. There's "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" link Also an actual academic lecture on the Limbic System which contextualizes & clarifies some of the other assertions in the OP blog post. ▶ this video There are more but hopefully YouTube's algorithm helps you out there. The Stanford lecture series is very interesting though Sapolsky doesn't deliver all the lectures. edit: The only plausible, good faith explanation of the amygdala-empathy claim I can think of is that there are facial recognition studies designed to activate the amygdala link that showed some correlation between anxiety levels and ACC-amygdala connectivity. The ACC, or anterior cingulate cortex, is held to be responsible for empathy. So it may be an interpretation of that knowledge the author is talking about. I know that facial recognition tests are used for evaluation of empathy, sexual attraction and so on. This is probably the kernel of accuracy in the claim. Or there may be other science on the topic that reaches a conclusion closer to what the author said. The linked study is extremely interesting read.