Brain Helps Keep Emotions Under Control
A new study may reveal how people function amidst distracting emotions.
The findings suggest the human brain is able to prevent emotions from interfering with mental functioning.
Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York City asked volunteer participants to indicate by pressing a button whether a face image was happy or fearful, while ignoring “fear” and “happy” labels written across each face.
The labels were either “congruent” (e.g., happy face, “happy” label) or “incongruent” (e.g., happy face, “fear” label). The incongruent labels were designed to represent a conflict between emotional and cognitive stimuli.
During the tests, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine what parts of the brain were active.
They found that when the participants were exposed to the incongruent labels, activity of the amygdala — the brain’s center for processing emotional events — was inhibited by the anterior cingulated cortex — the brain’s center for neural processing.
The researchers speculated that their findings may help explain why people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression may be unable to control emotional intrusion into their thoughts. They pointed out that the brains of people with PTSD and depression may be less able to inhibit the amygdala during emotional processing.
- Neuron, HealthDay News
Dr. Keith and Laurie Nemec’s comments on brain helps keep emotions under control.
Very interesting article research that showed that emotions are a byproduct of thinking processes. So, the more we think on things that are negative, the more we are going to produce emotions from that. The more we think on things that are true, the more we are going to not operate on emotions. So what this article showed was that the people that were able to use their mind, to think on the right thoughts were able to inhibit a certain part of the brain called the amygdala, which is the part that fear and certain emotions are processed. They found that people that were depressed and people that suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome, or stress disorder, were unable to control their emotions, because they were unable to control their thoughts. Interesting thing of this article is that if we can think on the truth, instead of the lie, if we can think on what God has put in our heart, and keep our mind fixed on the truth, we will not elicit emotions of fear. If we think on the moment, be still and know that I AM God, and God is the God of the moment, not God of the future or God of the past, He is the God of the moment, His name is I AM, not I was, or I will be, but I am. So the more we can stay in this present moment, and keep our eyes fixed on Him, the author, perfector, and finisher of our faith and not our eyes on our situation, our past, our future, our things, but keep our eyes fixed on Him, we will not elicit the emotion centers in the brain that produce fear and these other toxic emotions, which will cause inflammation in the body and a downward spiral of our health. So we have the choice to choose life or death, blessing or curses. We have that choice by what we choose to think on. So we are called to choose and think on what is true, what is lovely, what is right, what is beautiful, what is honorable. This is what we are choosing to think on. We are choosing to think on Him, our creator sustainer, our perfector and finisher of our faith. The one that we are in covenant with. If we take our eyes and our mind off of Him, then we will be putting our mind on the future, on the past, on things that will produce thoughts that will block, that would cause more, I should say, stimulation of this area of the brain that will produce more emotions and more fear. The other important thing we have to do is live a lifestyle that will keep our eyes fixed on Him and keep our thoughts fixed on Him and not going astray, producing toxic negative emotions. And that lifestyle is the 7 Basic Steps to Total Health which are:
Seven Basic Steps to Total Health™ which are:
1. Air— deep diaphragm breathing to oxygenate your body.
2. Water—drink 32 ounces of distilled water per 50/lbs per body weight per day.
3. Food—consume a diet of living/raw plant food which has the highest energy, bioelectricity, enzymes and bioavailable nutrient content to either maintain or restore your health.
4. Sleep—sleep 9.5 hours with 3.5 of them before midnight.
5. Exercise—exercise 30 minutes every day.
6. Fasting—fast from the normal Standard American Diet (SAD).
7. Prayer—take the time throughout your day to regularly still your mind so you can hear the voice of God spoken into your heart.