The amygdala, a key component of the limbic system, is particularly important in processing fear and threat-related stimuli.
When the amygdala detects a potential threat, it can trigger a rapid, automatic response, such as the “fight, flight, or freeze” reaction.
This response is often accompanied by the activation of cognitive biases, such as the negativity bias, which prioritizes negative information over positive information.
The amygdala’s sensitivity to threat can lead to the overestimation of risk and the underestimation of potential rewards, affecting our decision-making processes.