The human amygdala, nervous system, and ... dolphins?

This is a beautiful day as dolphins have paid us a visit along the Brazilian coast between Rio and Salvador do Bahia ("Day 3"). Tony Rae is definitely hoping that this will bring good luck to the boat, and he may be right. After all, the dolphin is a good luck symbol for both Native Americans and Christians. Superstitions aside, just what is it that makes people respond so strongly to animals?

Recalling a radio podcast that I've heard a couple of months back, a study revealed that certain cells in a primitive part of the human brain called the amygdala show strong responses towards animals but not towards other people, places, or objects (Hamilton). Since the amygdala is responsible for storing emotion related events (Vecchia-Adams 122), it's no surprise that we have developed such strong responses toward animals. In order for us to gain a deeper insight into the topic we should closely examine the nervous system.

The nervous system is mainly made up of neurons and glial cells. Neurons are responsible for sending information using electrochemical currents while glial cells are responsible for the communication and connection between neurons ("Neuron"455). Receptor neurons are responsible for giving us external information and motor neurons are responsible for instructing muscle contraction with the information given ("Nervous System" 453). Interneurons send signals within the nervous system; an example would be thoughts that are processed in different parts of the brain.

The amygdala is a part of the central nervous system whereas the eye- as a sensory receptor is a part of the peripheral nervous system ("Science Perspectives 10" 104-105). The image is first perceived by the eye- more specifically the retina which is composed of light sensitive nerve cells (Thompson 1568). The signals then travel from the optic nerve to the visual cortex and the visual cortex via interneurons to the amygdala. The amygdala triggers emotion because of its ability to connect to different parts of the body and give them commands for actions; for example, increased heartbeat, stress-hormone release. Without the presence of amygdala, one may feel indifferent to any sort of stimuli and therefore won't gain a strong sense of need to take a particular action.

Researchers say that the reason for emotional response towards animals may be linked to primitive humans' relationships with animals. While we look at gentle animals with awe and adoration, we look at ferocious animals with a sense of fear because they indicate danger.

All in all, if viewing an animal is able to change our physical state, there's more to using adorable animals as good luck charms than we would think. Although these emotional responses that have been programmed in our primitive brain have had greater uses than it does now, the joy of viewing gentle animals will always remain with us.

References

Adam-Carr, Christine, Martin Gabber, Christy Hayhoe, Douglas Hayhoe, Katherine Hayhoe, Barry LeDrew, and Milan Sanader. Science Perspectives 10. 1st ed. 1. Toronto: Nelson Education, 2010. Print.

Limbic System. N.d. Photograph. Shippensburg University.Web. 27 May 2012. <http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/limbicsystem.html>.

"Day 3: CAMPER hoping dolphins will bring good luck." CAMPER WITH EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND IN THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE. CAMPER, 26 Apr 2012. Web. 25 May. 2012.

Hamilton, Jon, dir. "Human Brain Responds To Animals, Cute Or Creepy." National Public Radio: 01 Sep 2011. Radio. <http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=140116969&m=140129072>.

"Neuron." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. Bonnie Strickland. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 455. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 May 2012.

"Nervous System." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. Bonnie Strickland. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 453-454. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 May 2012.

Panno, Joseph. THE CELL: Nature's First Life-form. Revised ed. Facts On File, 2009. 163-83. Print.

Thompson, Marie L. "Eye." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 1568-1571. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 May 2012.

VECCHIA-ADAMS, STEPHANIE DALL. "Amygdala." Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol & Addictive Behavior. Ed. Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 122. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Web. 27 May 2012.