The amygdala is linked to social uncertainty in other ways. In one neuroimaging study, a subject would participate in a competitive game against a group of other players; outcomes were rigged so that the subject would wind up in the middle of the rankings.15 Experimenters then manipulated game outcomes so that subjects’ rankings either remained stable or fluctuated wildly. Stable rankings activated parts of the frontal cortex that we’ll soon consider. Instability activated the frontal cortex plus the amygdala. Being unsure of your place is unsettling.
