Amygdala Hijack: Why Emotions Take Over

Amygdala Hijack: Why Emotions Take Over

Have you ever looked back on an emotional response you had and thought, “I don’t know what came over me!” This is what Goleman would refer to as a limbic or emotional hijacking, where the emotional center of your brain takes over without notice. We usually associate it with negative emotions, but it can be positive, too–if you’ve ever laughed uncontrollably and felt like you couldn’t stop, that’s a hijacking.

Your Emotional Brain—and How to Deal With It

The 25 Cognitive Biases: Cognitive Inertia

What is the emotional brain? How does it differ from your rational brain, and your automatic brain? We essentially have two minds: a thinking one and a feeling one. Our thinking mind is our rational mind, and for us modern humans this is the one we’re usually more aware of: we can observe our thoughts, reflect on our choices, and we can be aware of our thinking. Our emotional brain, however, starts off more powerful than our rational brain. It’s impulsive and strong, and sometimes irrational. It’s also been neglected by research and exploration up until the recent past, so