The Amygdala: Your gateway to a bad decision and a criminals secret weapon
Special Projects Group Ltd.
To Enable and Empower Our Customers to Operate in a Secure Evolving Environment
Ever look back at a bad decision and think......"Why on earth did that happen?" It can be as simple as a dodgy link you clicked on (while searching for genuine single people in your local area) or picking up the phone to an ex? Either way, we can be fairly sure that your Amygdala had something to do with it.
Criminals in particular have got wise to it's power and employ tactics designed to manipulate an unsuspecting victim’s amygdala, it can be a powerful tool leading to bad decisions that have long lasting implications.
In this blog post, we will discuss what exactly happens when criminals hijack your amygdala and how you can protect yourself from becoming a target.
Criminals are always looking for new ways to gain an edge in the world of crime; one way they often achieve this goal is through the exploitation of decision-making based on emotion.
What is the amygdala and how it affects your decision-making
This tiny almond shaped portion of the brain, buried somewhere in the Limbic System amongst the Hypothalamus is responsible for a number of things although the jury is still out regarding it being fully understood.
Scientists have linked it to memory, emotion, learning etc and describe it as the "guard dog of the brain". It is thought to be responsible for processing external stimuli and sending that information to different parts of the brain.
When we are faced with a decision, the amygdala releases a surge of chemicals that can either encourage us to take action or prevent us from taking risks. It is fascinating to think about how much of our behaviour is governed by this tiny component of our brain, and how important it is to regulate our emotional responses in order to make the best decisions for ourselves. Understanding the amygdala and how it affects our decision-making could be the key to unlocking our full potential.
The Theory of our 3 brains
Hypothetically and simply put, we have 3 brains (stick with me on this), Neocortex (Rational Logical), Limbic System (Emotional), Basal Ganglia (Reptilian/ Dinosaur).
The amygdala is part of the Limbic System, which is responsible for all our emotions. It has been shown to be involved in fear conditioning and panic reactions, as well as other emotional processes like anger and joy.
Your Amygdala acts as an emotional processor and studies have shown that when it is highly stimulated it can affect your ability to think rationally. In some studies, it's suggested that by exposing people to stimuli that would activate the amygdala to a high degree caused the logical processors of the brain (the neocortex) to nearly turn off! The studies showed that when asked to answer questions and solve problems that evoke feelings of empathy (for example) the brain regions associated with analysis and critical thinking were deactivated.
This process of overwhelming the brain with emotional stimuli and stress has been coined "Hijacking the Amygdala", and when this is in high gear things like adrenaline, hormones and blood pressure all rise, memory is effected and we lose our ability to communicate effectively.
Symptoms of Amygdala Hijacking and How to Recognize It
Have you ever experienced moments of intense emotion where you feel like you just can't control your actions or reactions? If so, you may have been a victim of amygdala hijacking.
Our brain is great, and our ability to process emotions has helped us to get to where we are today but in some cases, our amygdala can become overactive and cause us to react defensively to perceived threats, even when they are not real.
Common symptoms include:
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When you notice these symptoms, take a step back and try to calm yourself down through deep breathing, meditation, or other calming techniques. By recognizing and managing amygdala hijacking, you can better control your emotional responses and make more rational decisions in difficult situations.
How criminals exploit the amygdala to get people to make bad decisions
Our brains can be tricked into making bad decisions, and criminals know exactly how to take advantage of this fact.
Criminals use fear and other negative emotions to trigger the amygdala, thus clouding our judgment and decision-making abilities. By exploiting our vulnerability to emotions, they can easily manipulate us into making choices that we may later regret. It's crucial to educate ourselves on how the amygdala works and to be aware of the tactics that criminals use to exploit it.
But lets face it, it is not just criminals who exploit this - Advertisers, Employers, Sales teams, and Politicians have all used highly emotive rhetoric to engage your amygdala and get you to agree with them.
We can see routine use of this technique everywhere we look, from casinos to conmen!
Conclusion
Our amygdala plays an essential role in helping us understand our emotions and make decisions, but it can also be taken advantage of by those looking to exploit our vulnerability. By understanding how the amygdala works and recognizing when we are being manipulated by its hijacking, we can better control our emotional responses and make more rational decisions in difficult situations. Being aware of how criminals, advertisers, employers and politicians alike use fear-inducing tactics to manipulate us is essential in order for us to protect ourselves against their schemes.
Ultimately the amygdala is an extremely powerful emotional processor and if we are conscious of its capabilities, then we can better manage it.
Tips for Avoiding Amygdala Hijacking Scams
We all know how it feels when we get tricked into something we never intended to do, especially when it comes to scams.
One of the most common ways scammers get our attention is through emotive topics. This can be anything from "winning" a trip away, to 419 scams (AKA Nigerian prince).
The good news is that you don't have to be a victim of this type of attack. One tip is to be mindful of red flags, such as urgency, pressure, and fear-based language. Another is to verify the source of the information or request before taking any action. By being aware and employing some simple strategies, you can protect yourself from amygdala hijacking scams and make informed decisions.
If you are interested in hearing more about how to protect yourself then follow for updates.
Sources:
> Oya H, Kawasaki H, Howard MA 3rd, Adolphs R. Electrophysiological responses in the human amygdala discriminate emotion categories of complex visual stimuli. J Neurosci. 2002 Nov 1;22(21):9502-12. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.22-21-09502.2002. PMID: 12417674; PMCID: PMC6758059.
> https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0433-18.2018
>Unmasking the Social Engineer (Wiley, Christopher Hadnagy)