Hypothalamus and Limbic System:
Emotion and Motivated Behavior
• Emotions and motivated behavior are crucial for
survival:
– Emotional responses modulate the autonomic
nervous system to respond to threatening stimuli or
situations.
– Emotional responses are adaptive.  If you are
prepared to deal with threatening stimuli, you are
more likely to survive and reproduce.
– Motivated behavior underlies feeding, sexual and
other behaviors integral to promoting survival and
reproduction.
– The hypothalamus and limbic system mediate these
behaviors.