The experience of emotion is accompanied by activation of two major areas of
the nervous system: the brain and the autonomic nervous system.
Activation of Brain Regions
The area of the brain known as the limbic system is highly
involved in emotion. One structure in the limbic system, called the amygdala, plays a particularly important role in regulating
emotion.
Researchers believe that sensory information about emotion-evoking
events moves along two pathways in the brain. The information goes
first to the thalamus and from there moves simultaneously to the amygdala
and the cortex of the brain. The amygdala processes the information quickly
and sends signals to the hypothalamus, which in turn activates the autonomic
nervous system. The cortex, on the other hand, processes the information
more slowly, allowing people to appraise or evaluate the event.
Example: When information travels from the sense organs to the
thalamus to the amygdala, people respond instantaneously,
without thinking, to events in their environment. A parent may
snatch her child away from a curb without thinking if she hears
the sound of squealing tires coming toward them.
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