How Your “Lizard Brain” Fuels Overthinking and Social Anxiety

Have you ever left a social gathering and found yourself consumed by intrusive thoughts about what others might have been thinking? “Did I talk too much?” “Was my joke offensive?” “Did they enjoy themselves?”

A new study by Northwestern Medicine explores how humans evolved to excel at understanding the thoughts and feelings of others. These insights could eventually lead to new approaches for treating psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression.

The Evolution of Social Cognition

The study found that the more recently evolved and advanced parts of the human brain that support social interactions – called the social cognitive network – are connected to and in constant communication with an ancient part of the brain called the amygdala. Often referred to as our “lizard brain,” the amygdala typically is associated with detecting threats and processing fear.

However, the amygdala also plays a crucial role in social behaviors like parenting, mating, aggression, and the navigation of social-dominance hierarchies. The study found that the amygdala’s medial nucleus is connected to newly evolved social cognitive network regions, which are involved in thinking about other people.

Advanced Imaging Techniques Reveal Insights

The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a noninvasive brain-imaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygen levels. This enabled the scientists to see details of the social cognitive network that had never been detected on lower-resolution brain scans.

Implications for Treating Psychiatric Conditions

The findings of this study have significant implications for treating psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression. By understanding how the amygdala and social cognitive network interact, researchers may be able to develop new treatments that target these brain regions.

Conclusion

The discovery of the connection between the amygdala and social cognitive network sheds new light on how our brains process social information. By understanding how our “lizard brain” fuels overthinking and social anxiety, we may be able to develop new strategies for managing these conditions and improving our mental health.