Amygdala Hijack: When Emotion Takes Over

 

The amygdala is part of the limbic system, which regulates emotional and behavioral responses. An amygdala hijack is a fight-or-flight response to stress.

To better understand what an amygdala hijack is, you’ll need to understand a bit about how the brain functions. You’ll also need to understand two specific parts of the brain: the amygdala and the frontal lobes.

Fight or flight

The amygdalae are clusters of almond-shaped cells located in the brain’s base. Everyone has two in each hemisphere. They defineTrusted Source and regulate emotions, store memories, and attach those memories to specific emotions.

The amygdala also activates the fight-or-flight response. This response can help people in immediate physical danger react quickly for their safety and security. For example, the fight-or-flight response helped early humans respond to threats to avoid injury or death.

The amygdala activates this fight-or-flight response without any initiative from you. When that part of your brain senses danger, it signals your brain to pump stress hormones, preparing your body to either fight for survival or to flee to safety.

Today, that fight-or-flight response is more likely to be triggered by emotions such as stress, fear, anxiety, aggression, and anger.

 

 

Frontal lobes

To understand what an amygdala hijack is, you need to know about a second part of the brain: the frontal lobes. These two, large areas are located at the front of your brain.

The front lobes are part of the brain’s cerebral cortex. This area of the brain regulatesTrusted Source voluntary actions like reasoning, thinking, movement, decision-making, and planning. It is more rational than the amygdala.

The front lobes allow you to evaluate your emotions and then use your experiences and judgement to consciously respond. These reactions are not automatic, like the ones generated by the amygdala.

In the event of a physical threat, the amygdala may jump to the fight-or-flight response, but the front lobes process the information you’re receiving to help you determine if the danger is real. If the danger isn’t immediate, the frontal lobes help you decide what to do in response to the stress.

For mild or moderate threats, the frontal lobes can often override your amygdala so you can approach the situation rationally. But in the case of strong threats, the amygdala may trigger the fight-or-flight response.

For early humans, the fight-or-flight response was vital. The threat of physical harm was very real.

Today, however, you’re more likely to experience psychological threats, such as the pressures and stress of modern life, work, and relationships. These emotions, too, can trigger the amygdala’s fight-or-flight response.

Anger, aggression, fear, and stress are all common emotional triggers. They can cause sudden, illogical, and even irrational reactions.

In his 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ,” psychologist Daniel Goleman named this emotional overreaction to stress “amygdala hijack.” The amygdala hijack occurs when your amygdala responds to stress and disables your frontal lobes. That activates the fight-or-flight response and disables rational, reasoned responses. In other words, the amygdala “hijacks” control of your brain and your responses.

 

Website: neurology.pencis.com

 

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