Source: Fox News
Summary
Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber, recently scaled the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan without ropes or protective equipment. Neuroscientist Jane Joseph scanned Honnold’s brain in 2016 to understand his reaction to fear and stress. The scan showed little activity in his amygdala, the fear center of the brain. Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist, explained that extreme athletes like Honnold have brains that are less easily scared and more driven by challenge and novelty. Their brains also have exceptional top-down control, allowing for precise focus and emotional regulation in high-risk environments.
Our Reading
The advice sounds familiar. Research on the brains of extreme athletes like Alex Honnold has shown that they have a unique response to fear and stress. Their brains are less reactive to fear triggers and more driven by reward and motivation circuits. This allows them to perform at high levels in high-risk environments. Dr. Amen notes that these brains are not reckless, but rather better regulated under stress. The key difference between these brains and the average brain is exceptional top-down control, which enables precise focus and emotional regulation.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard that the brain’s response to fear can be retrained.
