Behave

Behave sets out to explain the reason behind human behavior, good or bad, by exploring the influences of brain chemistry and our environment.

When it comes to aggressive behavior, two main parts of the brain take part. The first is the amygdala, which is in the cerebral cortex and is the reason for fear and aggression. It identifies threats in a matter of milliseconds and is often inaccurate. The part of the brain that calms feelings of aggression and helps you think rationally is the frontal cortex. It takes a little longer to react, but helps relax what is often an overreaction from our amygdala.

These two are in a constant battle. The amygdala keeps you safe from threats, and the frontal cortex helps you act like a rational person. If one of these is thrown out of balance, it is impossible to control the effects.

An example of this is Phineas Gage, a man who had an iron rod puncture his skull. It destroyed his frontal cortex, but he amazingly survived. Without his frontal cortex, his personality entirely changed. He began to have violent mood swings and swear, which he had never done before. Without the amygdala being kept in check by the frontal cortex, he was unable to control his aggression.

Some scientists think that the reason that some people are racists or violent is because of an overdeveloped amygdala. We also know many violent criminals have suffered injuries to their frontal cortex, and psychopaths have less brain activity in this area. This is just one example of how brain structure influences behavior.

Our five senses constantly send information in the form of sensory cues to our brain. Visual cues, like the faces of strangers, alter our perception and our behavior toward them. The human brain is very attuned to skin color. An example of this is when images of people’s faces are shown to white people, the amygdala is much more likely to activate if the person shown is of a different race. Thankfully, this activation only happens for a split second, and the frontal cortex quickly sets in and quells this fearful response in non-racists. In addition, criminals with more characteristically “African” faces are more likely to have a longer sentence than someone else who commits a similar crime. This has led some defense attorneys to try strategies like having their black clients wear clunky, more stereotypical white glasses in an attempt to sway the jury. Our immediate social environment also plays a role in our behavior. An example of this is when males are around females they are more likely to take risks and buy more expensive items. We’ve all probably witnessed this kind of…