Anger Is Not Your Friend

Last time, we saw that your brain can work quickly. Like, it’s fast. Supersonic fast. When it’s humming, it can out-think supercomputers.

Add in your human emotions; you’ve got the world’s best thinking machine. Speaking of emotions, let’s look at how they work in our brains.

Why are emotions important? What are emotions? Happiness, sadness, and anger, to name three. There are others, like joy, gloominess, and rage. But they are different types of the first three. Emotions can affect how well we learn.

Let’s get the worst one out of the way first. Anger is not your friend. Sometimes, anger can work for you. But it takes more than it gives.

Introducing: your amygdala (am-MIG-duh-la)

It’s a small brain piece that controls emotions. How big is it? About the size of a walnut. When you’re angry, the amygdala takes over. It shuts off pathways you need. Thinking gets difficult, and all you can do is fight, flight or freeze.

That’s helpful if you’re running from the school bully. The amygdala contacts your adrenaline supply to give you some extra speed.

Here’s another one: yesterday, you didn’t understand a math lesson. Today, your teacher springs a surprise quiz on the same math you struggled with yesterday. You worry you’ll bomb out. Your amygdala takes over, blocking your thoughts. You get frustrated because the math is too hard.

Frustration can often lead to its big brother–anger.