ABSTRACT
The role of the heart and our understanding of trust is a highly controversial subject in the field of neuroscience, yet it is becoming more clear as different neuroscientists share and compare what they are learning with one another. The amygdala, the part of the reptilian brain that protects us from harm, is always listening for words and meanings that might threaten us. Neurotransmitters circulate in the brain and transmit signals from one nerve to another, amplifying the connectivity in the brain. Neurotransmitters are to the brain what conversations are to relationships. Heart—brain neuroscientific research teaches us that when our heart is in sync with other human beings, high levels of trust emerge. The brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.
