Limbic Brain & Emotions

Our Limbic Brain, “le grand lobe limbique” is at the center of our emotional life. Our Limbic Brain involves brain structures not present in the ancient Reptilian Brain —> i. e. structures providing the physiology of our emotional life. We “experience” emotions within the major Limbic Brain physiological structures of the amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. The amygdala anatomical structure has special significance because of its role of emotionally recording incoming stimuli to the Limbic Brian. From an evolutionary perspective we share parts of the Limbic Brain with other mammals,  making for a significant ancestral emotional link with them.  Evolutionarily, our Limbic Brain has similarities with other mammals in the experiencing of the emotions of fear,  anger,  aspects of sadness, components of happiness, and even jealousy. This similarity is probably because in the long 150,000,000 year evolutionary journey of the Limbic Midbrain (i. e. between Reptilian Brain and Neocortex)  it has  had  a fair consistency across the many Mammalian species. That is, the size of  the Limbic Brain  is fairly consistent  across  Mammalian species.  It  is only with the explosive evolution of  the human Neocortex forebrain where this consistency  (size) breaks down.  Thus, what  complicates the  experiencing, understanding,  and expressing of  emotions for human beings is  having a Neocortex that interprets Limbic emotions. Other mammals generally experience  emotions in a pure form as they biologically arise. However, our Neocortex “thinks” about the emotions as they arise and in that process emotions can be misinterpreted and used for good or ill. We can obsess over a certain emotion, exaggerate an emotion, and easily make assumptions about emotions. We often misinterpret, overreact to, or repress certain emotions. And, hopefully there are times we use our emotions as a co-moving energetic forces along with motivation to meet inborn needs.