Captivated by critters: Humans are wired to respond to animals
Friday, September 9, 2011 - 09:30
in Psychology & Sociology
Some people feel compelled to pet every animal they see on the street, while others jump at the mere sight of a shark on their television. No matter what your response is to animals, it may be thanks to a specific part of your brain that is hardwired to rapidly detect creatures of the nonhuman kind. In fact, researchers report that neurons throughout the amygdala respond preferentially to images of animals.