American climber Alex Honnold is turning heads with his historic ropeless climb up one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers – Taipei 101, on Sunday. As thousands of spectators looked on wide-eyed, Honnold confidently started his ascent, waving to the crowd occasionally, resolved to complete his mission with flying colours.
Breaking the earlier record held by Alain Robert, the only other person who climbed Taipei 101 in four hours (albeit with ropes and harness), Honnold achieved the remarkable feat in one hour and 31 minutes, celebrating the achievement with the short and sweet: “Sick”. Beating the wind and the heat, he was greeted on top of the structure by his wife.
Alex Honnold scales Taipei 101 without ropes, shattering records
The incredible video of his matchless climb is going viral on social media, making one wonder how Honnold managed to conquer his fear as he attempted the climb without ropes, a harness, or safety equipment. And he hasn’t done it for the first time. Honnold, known for his earlier achievement of being the first person to climb El Capitan, the massive 3,000-foot vertical granite monolith in Yosemite National Park, California, seems to be wired differently than most others.
Why fear barely registers in Alex Honnold’s brain
Research suggests that Honnold indeed has a neurological advantage when it comes to facing fear, as revealed by neuroscientists who studied his brain scan.
A 2016 functional MRI (fMRI) scan conducted by Dr Jane Joseph, cognitive neuroscientist at the Medical University of South Carolina, found that Honnold’s amygdala reacted at a lower level compared with the control subjects – another male rock climber of a similar age.
The amygdala is a crucial part of the brain that detects potential threats and triggers emotional and physical responses, such as fear and anxiety. The prefrontal cortex helps regulate a person’s response.
What brain scans reveal about Honnold’s muted amygdala response
The scan provided insight into how Honnold’s brain responds to the fear-inducing images compared to other people; the findings were published in Science magazine Nautilus.
Both Honnold and the comparison subject were shown fear-inducing images and the latter showed a stronger brain activity in the scans compared to the ace climber who showed little or none. In another task related to monetary rewards, the comparison subject showed bigger activation in brain areas related to emotion and reward compared to Honnold who brain activity was in the areas that process visual input.
REM sleep: The hidden factor behind his fearlessness
Honnold’s muted fear response could also be due to the high levels of REM sleep he enjoys every night. Will Ahmed, Founder & CEO of WHOOP, a screen-free wearable technology company, took to social media to share that Honnold enjoys over 5 hours of restorative sleep between REM (rapid eye movement) sleep + SWS (slow wave sleep).
Amazing thing we learned from working with Alex Honnold on @whoop is that he gets an outlier level of REM sleep every night. 5+ hours of restorative sleep between REM sleep + SWS.
— Will Ahmed (@willahmed) January 25, 2026
Studies show a high amount of REM sleep decreases your amygdala response (aka fight or flight). https://t.co/b8cz8iLBAl
Studies have shown a high amount of REM sleep is associated with decreased amygdala response (fight or flight).
How sleep rewires the brain’s fear centre
According to the National Institutes of Health, healthy sleep consists of two repeatedly cycling types of sleep – non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), including slow-wave sleep (SWS) phases of deep sleep and rapid eye movement sleep (REM). As the night progresses, the percentage of SWS decreases while REM sleep percentage increases towards the morning.
In a study published in Author Manuscript, scientists believe REM sleep helps the brain ‘reset’ emotional reactions by lowering stress-related chemicals while reprocessing emotional memories in areas like the amygdala and hippocampus. This overnight process appears to reduce the emotional intensity of experiences from the previous day, making the brain calmer and less reactive.
On the other hand, when this REM-related calming mechanism fails – as seen in anxiety disorders – the brain remains in a hyper-aroused state, leading to heightened fear and exaggerated emotional responses.
So healthy REM sleep is directly associated with reduced amygdala activity, improved brain connectivity, and lower emotional reactivity the next day.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. While the author has incorporated expert medical guidance while producing the story and ensured full authentic information is provided to the reader, you should always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.