Amygdala Hijack: When Emotion Takes Over cover image
Quality of Life

Amygdala Hijack: When Emotion Takes Over

Amygdala hijack happens when your brain reacts to psychological stress as if it's physical danger.

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Kimberly Holland
Sep 17, 2021 • 8 min read
4.55 (11)
Decision Making
Awareness
Emotion
Facing Uncertainty
Revealing Behaviors

Summary

We are a product of evolution, and still have the same equipment our ancestors had thousands of years ago - when the survival situation was very different than it is now. In this article, Kimberly Holland explains steps you can take to prevent your pre-historic self from taking over and acting out. She shows that even when faced with difficult situations you can still control your brain's irrational emotional reactions.

Takeaways

  • The amygdala’s fight-or-flight response was useful to early humans. They regularly experienced real, immediate physical threats. Today, that’s not the case.
  • The modern world is full of stress, but it’s often caused by reactions to events, like natural disasters and strife, or even work, traffic, and arguments with family. The amygdala still responds to this stress as if it were a physical threat.
  • You can prevent the amygdala hijack, gaining control over your brain’s irrational emotional reactions. You can do this by slowing down, taking deep breaths, and refocusing your thoughts. These steps allow your brain’s frontal lobes to take over for the irrational amygdala. When this happens, you have control over your responses, and you won’t be left feeling regret or embarrassment at your behavior.

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