ABSTRACT
The cingulate cortex provides our capability for vigilance and sustained attention to incoming information either through broad scanning and surveillance or by throwing a spotlight on what is going on internally or externally. It is able to detect emotional signals from other people and from within one’s self. It is also activated when we or someone we love are in pain or when we are isolated or socially excluded, such that exclusion from social circles is often perceived as truly painful (Cozolino 2006).
