--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Joseph LeDoux at New York University has…" description: "\"“Joseph LeDoux at New York University has shown how the BLA learns fear.fn14,20 Expose a rat to an innate trigger of fear—a shock. When this “unconditi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_fear_joseph-ledoux-at-new-york-university-has_478330.jpg" --- # Joseph LeDoux at New York University has shown how the BLA… ![“Joseph LeDoux at New York University has shown how the BLA learns fear.fn14,20 Expose a rat to an innate trigger of fear—a shock. When this “unconditioned stimulus” occurs, the central amygdala activates, stress hormones are secreted, the sympathetic nervous system mobilizes, and, as a clear end…” quote by Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_fear_joseph-ledoux-at-new-york-university-has_478330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_fear_joseph-ledoux-at-new-york-university-has_478330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_fear_joseph-ledoux-at-new-york-university-has_478330.jpg) > ““Joseph LeDoux at New York University has shown how the BLA learns fear.fn14,20 Expose a rat to an innate trigger of fear—a shock. When this “unconditioned stimulus” occurs, the central amygdala activates, stress hormones are secreted, the sympathetic nervous system mobilizes, and, as a clear end point, the rat freezes in place—“What was that? What do I do?” Now do some conditioning. Before each shock, expose the rat to a stimulus that normally does not evoke fear, such as a tone. And with repeated coupling of the tone (the conditioned stimulus) with the shock (the unconditioned one), fear conditioning occurs—the sound of the tone alone elicits freezing, stress hormone release, and so on.fn15”” [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear conditioning shows how a neutral cue can become threatening through repeated pairing with danger, illustrating learning’s role in emotional responses. **In simple terms:** Neutral signals become scary after repeated danger pairing. Key Takeaway Recognize learned fears and re‑condition responses. Themes neuroscience learning emotion Mood analytical hopeful Type educational psychological When to use this quote - therapy - education - personal development - stress management Key Concepts classical conditioning amygdala stress response Questions to Reflect On - What fears have you learned that no longer serve you? - How can you safely re‑condition them? A Different Perspective Conditioned fear can persist despite safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amygdala Activates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amygdala-activates-2194596/) [Conditioned Stimulus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditioned-stimulus-4117908/) [Cortex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cortex-283580/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Conditioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-conditioning-4117909/) [Nervous system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous-system/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Unconditioned Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconditioned-fear-4117910/) [Unconditioned Stimulus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconditioned-stimulus-4117907/) ## Related quotes > [“So if whites see a black face shown at a subliminal speed, the amygdala activates.10 But if the face is shown long enough for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/so-if-whites-see-a-black-face-shown-at-a-subliminal-speed-the/) [Robert M. 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The same occurs transiently when you temporarily silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/moving-beyond-mere-correlation-if-you-lesion-the-amygdala-in-an/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [The frontal cortex doesn't even fully develop until age 25, which is wild!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/the-frontal-cortex-doesn-t-even-fully-develop-until-age-25-which-is/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“in adults the anterior cingulate cortex activates when they see someone hurt. Ditto for the amygdala and insula, especially in instances of intentional harm—there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/in-adults-the-anterior-cingulate-cortex-activates-when-they-see/) [Robert M. 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All embedded in the fabric of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/thus-for-our-purposes-genes-aren-t-about-inevitability-instead-they/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“If we accept that there will always be sides, it’s a nontrivial to-do list item to always be on the side of angels. Distrust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/if-we-accept-that-there-will-always-be-sides-it-s-a-nontrivial-to-do/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“In other words, the more genomically complex the organism, the larger the percentage of the genome devoted to gene regulation by the environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/in-other-words-the-more-genomically-complex-the-organism-the-larger/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“The subject of one experiment is a rat that receives mild electric shocks (roughly equivalent to the static shock you might get from scuffing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/the-subject-of-one-experiment-is-a-rat-that-receives-mild-electric/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“No brain region is an island, and the formation of circuits connecting far-flung brain regions is crucial—how else can the frontal cortex use its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/no-brain-region-is-an-island-and-the-formation-of-circuits-connecting/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“We process emotionally salient information more rapidly and automatically, but with less accuracy. 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Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“some people always get more than their share of equality than others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/some-people-always-get-more-than-their-share-of-equality-than-others/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [It's probably even the case that if you stoked up some Buddhist monks with tons of testosterone, they'd become wildly competitive as to who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/it-s-probably-even-the-case-that-if-you-stoked-up-some-buddhist-monks/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) [Explore all 280 Robert M. Sapolsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. 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Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Joseph LeDoux at New York University has shown how the BLA learns fear.fn14,20 Expose a rat to an innate trigger of fear—a shock. When this “unconditioned stimulus” occurs, the central amygdala activates, stress hormones are secreted, the sympathetic nervous system mobilizes, and, as a clear end point, the rat freezes in place—“What was that? What do I do?” Now do some conditioning. Before each shock, expose the rat to a stimulus that normally does not evoke fear, such as a tone. And with repeated coupling of the tone (the conditioned stimulus) with the shock (the unconditioned one), fear conditioning occurs—the sound of the tone alone elicits freezing, stress hormone release, and so on.fn15”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert M. 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