Somatic Marking

Somatic marking can be defined as the memories and emotions we have that are stored in the pre-frontal cortex. This marking helps us face ethical reasoning and make rational decisions. We can use somatic markers to survive as a species because if we remember from past experiences of what brings us harm, we will be able to avoid those same situations to be safe. For example, if a child attempts to cross the road while facing a red light and almost gets hit by a car, the child will remember in the future to not cross at a red light for safety. I believe we are sometimes aware of somatic marking taking place. For example, before writing an exam, people tend to get nervous and anxious. Personally I can feel this change in emotion occurring to me before every test I write. Although I'm always confident before writing a test, I believe the somatic marking automatically brings a slight nervousness as a result of previous tests in the past.