Principle 23
❖ We can be emotionally highjacked by our anger
When emotions go out of control, what happens in the brain is something neurophysiologists (the brain experts) call emotional highjacking.
Emotional arousal starts in the center of the brain in a group of structures called the limbic system. Arousal can become so great, that natural checks and balances in the stress response break down.
What holds the emotional arousal in the limbic system in check is the outer part of the brain called the cortex. Emotional highjacking short circuits the moderating influence of this thinking part of the brain. Emotional arousal "boils over" and takes control.
Then we act without considering the alternatives or the consequences. In nearly all cases, this unthinking action is dangerous. Once we toss out our good judgment we put ourselves and others at risk.