Researchers in Nijmegen found a way to influence a key brain region involved in fear. The headlines soon announced an ‘off switch for fear’, which sounds rather spectacular. But the real story may be even more interesting. We are beginning to understand why fear switches on so quickly—and why it is so difficult to switch off again.
People are crazy about categories. They make the world clear and manageable: this is this, that is that. Such categorisation is useful for organising thoughts, making decisions, and tackling complex matters. But there is a downside to it. The moment we squeeze reality too tightly into boxes, we sacrifice nuance. The world does not resemble grid paper, it is a multi-layered canvas—and our brains are no different.
As many of our readers are enjoying a well-deserved summer break, Donders Wonders writers will
You’re scrolling through social media when you realize that your phone is at 3%. You need your charger. Now! So, you get up, march to the kitchen with purpose, and… freeze. You’re standing in the middle of the room, staring at the fridge, wondering why you walked in there in the first place. What was I doing here?
From the design of seatbelts to the symptoms of a heart attack, the average male body has long served as the default model for research and development across society. Fortunately, efforts are now underway to better represent others, including women. But where do we currently stand in neuroscience?
Imagine someone offers to split €10 with you but keeps €8 for themselves and gives you only €2. Most people would see that as unfair. Now imagine two different people making this offer. One person is usually generous. The other person is known for being selfish. Even though they both offer the same split, it feels different, doesn’t it?
Your brain was recording, but it lost the remote.
You see a car – wait… it’s not just a car. It’s red, it has a particular shape, and it’s moving fast. You hear the engine as it races past you. Maybe you even catch the smell of exhaust. Your amazing brain is able to combine all these different signals into a single red car, but how does it do that?
You’re walking home at night and think you see someone behind you, but when you turn around, no one’s there. Moments like this raise a question: how does your brain tell what’s real and what you’re imagining? Evidence suggests the answer may be surprisingly simple: the brain listens to the “volume” of its own signals. When internal thoughts become strong enough, they can briefly fool the mind into treating imagination as reality.
Why does one person feel completely exhausted after being in a busy place, while another barely notices it? Why is one person deeply moved by a sad movie or quick to notice small details, while another hardly reacts? According to researchers, this has to do with how our brain processes sensory input. It can be explained with the ideas of predictive processing.