How are your feelings affecting your thinking?

Remember the 80s campaign “This is your brain on drugs”? Those ubiquitous PSAs conveyed a clear image that many of us watching TV in that decade can still remember: eggs landing in a frying pan. Of course, “Your Brain on Drugs” is a completely different leadership article for another day :). But what about your brain on intense emotion?

Neuroscience research conducted over the past 25 years paints a pretty clear picture as well: Our brain’s critical thinking and attention processes are compromised, sometimes severely, when we are experiencing strong negative emotions. And, of course, in our current world of work, heightened emotions and stress are part of our daily lives. Fortunately, there are some proven strategies for managing your “brain on emotion.”

At some level, most of us are aware that our emotions are impacting our thinking processes. We know that our brain operates less effectively when stressed, upset, or angry. What we may be less aware of is the magnitude of that effect and what we can do to mitigate the impact. 

We tend to ignore this shift in our mental capability and behavior in ways that can be detrimental to our decision-making, relationships, and ability to perform. When tensions are high and our reputation is at stake, it's critical to be at our highest ability to function. We don't always recognize how our critical thinking processes and behavior toward others change for the worse under pressure or negative emotions, and this lack of awareness can create significant trouble for us and even damage our careers.

A quick review of the science:

Emotional regulation theory describes the effect of emotions on our physiology and brain processing and our options for managing this effect. It's beneficial for leaders to understand and apply these research findings to their day-to-day interactions.

When we experience an emotional trigger that creates negative feelings, this typically activates our limbic system (our primitive “survival” system) in the brain. A few important things happen within “our brain on emotion”*:

1. Our cognitive resources (glucose, oxygen) rush to our limbic “survival” system, reducing resources for our prefrontal cortex, which inhibits executive functions like critical thinking and attention control. In other words, your ability and willingness to solve problems, learn, trust others, be creative, take educated risks, focus attention, and collaborate can be more compromised than you realize.

2. Our amygdala, an almond-shaped structure that assists with processing emotions, gets activated (or “aroused”). Our ability to encode memory is reduced during emotional times because our amygdala plays a primary role in emotional memory storage.

3. High levels of cortisol, a hormone that regulates the acute stress response, can also impair the hippocampus, another part of the brain involved in memory creation. In addition, the shift of glucose to the limbic system and muscles can prevent the hippocampus from receiving enough energy, further compromising the ability to encode memories.

Have you ever had difficulty remembering events from a stressful time in your life? If so, you've experienced this effect. Strong negative emotions often result in poor recall.

This perfect storm of stress and emotion “hijacks” brain function and often happens outside of our conscious awareness. We may realize we are compromised, but we keep “pushing through,” often to our detriment.

Some ways to minimize the effect of the “brain hijack” during heightened emotions:

• Label and express the emotion: Research indicates that identifying, labeling, and constructively expressing our emotions greatly reduces their physiological effects. The simple act of being aware of your emotions and putting your feelings into words is a strategy proven to support cognitive processing and memory function. Suppression of emotions leads to decreased memory for details of the event and requires a considerable amount of mental resources over time. Emotional suppression actually heightens your negative physiological response and doesn’t diminish the intensity of your feelings.

• Reframe: To use this strategy, referred to as reappraisal, pause to reflect on the circumstances of the event. What may be true about the situation that you did not initially consider? Are there other possible interpretations of what happened? Is there another way to look at the event that would be easier to accept? This “reframing” process can create a very different neurological response that can be less disruptive to thinking processes.

• Find your version of calm: If you can find a personal space of “calm in the storm,” you may increase your memory and cognitive processing capability. Even 5-10 minutes of stepping away, intentional breathing, or taking a walk will give your brain an opportunity to shift out of “survival” mode. Becoming more “mindful” and at peace with the present moment decreases the stress response.

• Reflection: In the heat of the moment, we may not have many options, but taking the time, when we can, to reflect on our emotions and behaviors can be the key to crafting a different response the next time. It allows us to observe ourselves more objectively and with curiosity. Watch out for your inner critic, which tends to blame yourself or others harshly during reflection. Studies found that emotional reflection decreases amygdala activation.

• Renewal: Whether it’s sleep, exercise, time with family, or walks in nature, your brand of renewing your energy is fundamental to managing your brain's reaction to stress and emotion. It can be challenging to make time for this, but considering the payoff, it's worth the investment.

If you struggle to keep commitments to yourself around self-care, find an accountability partner. This can be someone to exercise with, someone who just checks on your goals, a coach, or joining a class or group with common interests.

 As leaders, demonstrating self-awareness and applying these techniques will create a better environment for our team and enable us to serve as a role model in difficult times.

So, the next time you receive an email that sets your brain on fire, remember to take a deep breath and refer to this list of strategies. 

 *The neuroscience research findings and effects described here are greatly simplified for ease of understanding and application.

Sources:

Ochsner, K. N., & Gross, J. J. (2004). Thinking makes it so: A social cognitive neuroscience approach to emotion regulation. In R. F. Baumeister & K. D. Vohs (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications (pp. 229–255). The Guilford Press

Herwig U, Kaffenberger T, Jäncke L, Brühl AB. Self-related awareness and emotion regulation. Neuroimage. 2010 Apr 1;50(2):734-41. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.089. Epub 2010 Jan 4. PMID: 20045475.

Forcato, Cecilia & Burgos, Valeria & Argibay, Pablo & Molina, Victor & Pedreira, María & Maldonado, Hector. (2007). Reconsolidation of declarative memory in humans. Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.). 14. 295-303. 10.1101/lm.486107.

Gross, James. (2002). Emotion Regulation: Affective, Cognitive, and Social Consequences. Psychophysiology. 39. 281-91. 10.1017/S0048577201393198.

Gross, J. J., Richards, J. M., & John, O. P. (2006). Emotion Regulation in Everyday Life. In D. K. Snyder, J. Simpson, & J. N. Hughes (Eds.), Emotion regulation in couples and families: Pathways to dysfunction and health (pp. 13–35). American Psychological Association.