Self-Rated Amgydala Reactivity: An Auto-Biological Index of Subjective Distress

Auto-biological beliefs—beliefs about one’s own biology—are an understudied component of personal identity. Participants in a neuroimaging study rated their own amgydala reactivity compared to peers. Self-ratings did not correlate with threat-related amygdala reactivity as measured with BOLD fMRI. Instead, amgydala self-ratings reflected subjective distress and social desirability/agreeableness.