1. Why You Can't Turn Away.
- Author
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Conniff, Richard
- Subjects
- *
INTEREST (Psychology) , *CRISIS management , *DISASTERS , *PAIN , *MEMORY , *AMYGDALOID body - Abstract
This article claims that paying attention to other people's disasters is a way of self-preservation. Psychologists call it instructed fear, with memories of the event imprinted in the amygdala, the subconscious fear central. If people encounter some hint of that experience, the amygdala's role is to put you on alert before the conscious mind suspects that anything is amiss. Moreover, the intense interest in disasters also stems from people's need to connect with other people and share their emotions. When people see others in pain, it activates the pain-sensitive regions of their own brains.
- Published
- 2005