Lockdown Day 28: BEWARE OF THE AMYGDALA HIJACK?

So, how is your common-sense?

One of the many dangers of a five-week lockdown is an emotional shut-down. We become more susceptible to fake-news, conspiracies, and emotional manipulation. It is quite disconcerting how many hoaxes and conspiracy theories surfaced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and how eagerly they are shared on social platforms. On Snopes alone more than 240 theories are addressed. Many people refer to it as an INFODEMIC or even a PANDUMBIC. It is equally alarming to see how many Christians believe it, pass it on without checking and are hijacked into a frenzy of conspiracies. One day we are moved with compassion and the next moment we are pulled into suspicion and mistrust. One day our healthcare workers are heroes and the next day they are part of a global conspiracy of a new world order. How does this happen?

The question is: Why do we trust people we do not know with information we do not need that can be detrimental to our health and decremental to our witness?

Indeed, as Ed Stedzer rightly says: God has not called us to be easily fooled. Gullibility is not a Christian virtue. Believing and sharing conspiracies does not honour the Lord. It may make you feel better, like you are in the know, but it can end up harming others and it can hurt your witness.

So, why are we so eager to share conspiracies and what is the amygdala effect? (taken from https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/amygdala-hijack#symptoms) In a nutshell, the amygdala is a collection of cells near the base of the brain. This is where emotions are given meaning, remembered, and attached to associations and responses to them. The amygdala is part of the brain’s limbic system. It is key to how we process strong emotions like fear and pleasure and provides an automatic response to physical danger which allows us to react quickly without thinking. When you feel threatened and afraid, the amygdala automatically activates the fight-or-flight response by sending out signals to release stress hormones that prepare your body to fight or run away. This response is triggered by emotions like fear, anxiety, aggression, and anger.

In contrast to the amygdala, the frontal lobes of the brain are part of the cerebral cortex, which is a newer, rational, and more advanced brain system. This is where thinking, reasoning, decision-making, and planning happen. The frontal lobes allow you to process and think about your emotions. You can then manage these emotions and determine a logical response. Unlike the automatic response of the amygdala, the response to fear from your frontal lobes is consciously controlled by you.

Getting fixated on conspiracies and completely neglect common sense and logical reasoning is what psychologist Daniel Goleman calls “amygdala hijack”. It happens when a situation causes your ‘emotional’ amygdala to hijack control of your ‘rational and logic’ response. The amygdala disables the frontal lobes and activates the fight-or-flight response. Without the frontal lobes, you cannot think clearly, make rational decisions, or control your responses. Control has been “hijacked” by the amygdala and suddenly common-sense is not so common anymore.

How can you stop an amygdala hijack? By consciously activating your frontal cortex, the rational, logical part of your brain. When you receive a post with a possible conspiracy theory, use your frontal lobes to think the situation through, review the possible options, and choose the most rational and logical way to respond.

In other words, when isolated, do not lose your common-sense next time you are confronted with news that is intended to manipulate your emotions.