Our brain detects emotions in the faces of others thanks to the amygdala, a small almond-shaped structure located in the deepest part of the brain. Composed of nuclei of neurons, its main function is to process and store memories of emotional experiences that have left their mark on synaptic connections. To deduce that someone is sad, our memory influences more than the visible signs on the face , according to the latest research.
A group of neuroscientists implanted electrodes in the tonsils of seven epilepsy patients who were about to undergo brain surgery. The researchers recorded the activity of 200 individual neurons and analyzed how they responded to the patient's visual stimulus as the patient viewed a series of photographs with happy and sad faces. The team found a subset of cells responsible for discerning both emotions, even when they were misidentified.
The results suggest that amygdala neurons recognize emotions in the facial expressions of others based on subjective criteria stored in our memory, rather than on the visual characteristics of faces. Therefore, when it comes to recognizing what others feel through their faces, what we think we see seems to be more important than what we see.
