Courage and the Brain

In order to understand where courage exists in our brains, we have to first understand where fear exists

Fear originates in a part of the brain known as the amygdala, an almond-shaped group of nuclei located in the temporal lobe. One of the main jobs of the amygdala is to detect whether something in our environment requires an emotional response. The amygdala reacts the most strongly to fear and aggression. For example, when the amygdala detects a threat to our safety, it sends alerts to the premotor areas of our brain responsible for our fight or flight response.

Other areas of the brain involved in our fear response are the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. These areas help the amygdala process what is a real threat and what isn’t. While the amygdala might go “oh no, danger!” to a ghost in a haunted house, the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and other higher brain areas help us recognize that we are not in real danger.

The fight or flight response brings all of these areas together. It is an automatic physiological reaction to a stressful event in which the sympathetic nervous system is activated to prepare our body to respond to the acute stress stimuli by either confronting the stimuli (fight) or avoiding the stimuli (flight). The fight or flight response includes elevated heart rate, increased blood circulation, dilation of the pupils, and increased respiratory rate.

So where does courage fit into all this?
New research has found a collection of neurons highly connected to these fear structures called the ventral midline thalamus (vMT). Scientists have dubbed this area the “courage switch”. When researchers inhibited activity in the vMT and presented mice with a fear-inducing or danger stimulus, mice chose fight over flight, versus when that area was not inhibited and they chose to flee rather than confront the dangerous stimuli. This means that conditions such as phobias, anxiety, or even PTSD may be helped by inhibiting overactivity in these brain regions, therefore physiologically inciting a courageous response. Beyond that, the findings suggest that exhibiting courage is more of a decision, not a reaction to the circumstances, meaning that even without scientific or medical intervention we can start making choices that bring us closer to developing our innate courage. 

Ways to develop courage using neuroscience.

1. Learn ways that can calm our overactive limbic system, particularly the amygdala, to help us feel safe. When we feel calm and safe, it’s easier to become courageous. The fear may still be there, but we can make corageous decisions and act in spite of it, as it’s no longer debilitating or paralysing. Research suggests that these contemplative practices can help find more calm in our lives:

• Meditation
• Yoga
• Connecting with nature, taking walks
• Journaling
• Listening to soft and calming music
  

Many of these practices incorporate deep, slow breathing which can activate our parasympathetic nervous system (our body’s relaxation and resting response) and stimulate the vagus nerve (a cranial nerve that is part of the parasympathetic system), making us feel safe, calm and relaxed. Mindfulness and being aware of the present moment has also shown to help calm the mind and body

2. Take advantage of the brain’s ability to learn trough repetition and practice. Our brains have an amazing ability to learn and change throughout our lives called ‘neuroplasticity’. Anything we do and experience in life essentially has the ability to ‘rewire our brain’. What we do repeatedly changes and strengthens the neural pathways and connections, making actions more automatic and part of our traits. Hence, when we repeatedly practice courage, it eventually becomes part of our personality and makes up who we are.

3. Be aware of the effects of trauma and negativity bias. Evolutionary, our brain’s main goal is to protect us from any harm and set us up for survival. This makes the brain more focused on the negative than the positive, known as the brain negativity bias. Aside from the negativity bias, trauma (from mocro-trauma to severe disorders) changes the physiology of the brain. If you experienced trauma, it might be helpful to start to work through it to process it and heal in order to be able to minimize anxiety, fear or self-sabotage. If this is true for you, be compassionate and patient with yourself. Healing takes time. But remember, being here is already a step towards healing, it takes so much courage to own our story.
 

Sources and Additional Information:

•  Neural Mechanisms of Courage
• Researchers find the 'brain switch' for courage 
• How to Find and Practice Courage 
• https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/newsletters/authentichappinesscoaching/courage
   

Challenge

Reflect: How has fear and anxiety impacted your life? In what ways did it manifest in your personal and professional life?

Take action: What small act of courage can you do today?

You can write the answers to the above questions in your journal or in the text box below.