The amygdala, a small, almond-shaped region nestled deep in the brain’s temporal lobe, is traditionally known for its role in processing emotions, especially fear. But over the past few decades it has become clear that the amygdala, particularly its basolateral part, is a central hub in our social brain.
Across species, this region has been shown to participate in evaluating social rewards, empathic responses and decisions involving others. In rodents and monkeys, neurons in the basolateral amygdala encode the value of not just rewards for oneself but also the rewards received by others. And in humans, the structure has been linked to traits such as trust, empathy, moral decision-making and extraordinary altruism. Human amygdala volume also correlates with the size and complexity of a person’s social network. And some evidence suggests that psychopathy and aggression are associated with a smaller, less functional amygdala. {read}