Question: Which part of the brain controls emotions and do animals have a similar brain structure to humans?

Ben Brilot answered on 11 Mar 2013:

People used to think that there was a part of the brain called ‘the limbic system’ that controlled emotion and that it was separate from everything else. But as with everything we’re learning about the brain, it’s never that simple. There are parts of the brain that are associated with particular emotions. So, there’s a tiny part called the amygdala (it looks like a little almond) in your brain that seems to be responsible for fear. It’s the bit that basically gets your adrenalin going and makes you run away when you’re suddenly faced with something potentially very dangerous (like a lion). Other mammals absolutely have this same brain structure. Other animals, like birds, don’t necessarily have a structure that looks the same, but their brains seem to be wired up in a very similar way. I think the answer you might be looking for is: do animals have the parts of the brain that would allow them to have emotions. I’d argue that they pretty much do.