For example, brain scans indicate the amygdala is especially activated when we view emotional facial expressions indicating fear or distress (Ohman, 2009).
When the amygdala is damaged, patients ofen overlook important emotional cues. For instance, they identify all faces as being more trustworthy and approachable than the rest of us do (Adolphs, 2004; Dobbs, 2006a).
Similarly, when the amygdala is damaged in animals, they no longer learn to fear and avoid dangerous situations (Hamann et al., 2002).