Neocortex – Using it to Handle a Difficult Situation

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When faced with a difficult situation, the Reptilian portion of the brain, the amygdala, often kicks the body into “fight or flight mode” but there is a portion of the brain that is involved in cognitive functions such as reasoning, conscious thought and sensory perception. The neocortex, which is comprised of over 100 billion cells, helps allow the person to see, hear, touch, balance, move and form emotional responses.

During a difficult situation, humans tend to get caught into lower portions of their brains and cannot think rationally or creatively during a stressful or bad situation. As a result, the person cannot think clearly and rationally and often makes a decision based off of a “fight or flight” response.  By staying within the neocortex, humans can think rationally about the situation and create a solution that is reasonable instead of going off a “fight or flight” feeling. The different folds within the neocortex also allow for speech, language, working memory and other cognitive skills to work.

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