How does “name it to tame it” work?
If you’re feeling frightened, angry, anxious… you can reduce stress by 50% by simply stating your emotion.
This is a simple hack to minimize the hold certain emotions and experiences can have on your life and work.
But how?
Feelings of fear, aggression, etc. cause the amygdala (the part of the brain that regulates emotion) to get triggered.
Calling out emotions puts your “executive brain” (cortex) in charge to release soothing neurotransmitters, to calm down the excessively aroused amygdala.
In more scientific terms, via a study:
When subjects were asked to name the emotion (such as anger, fear or sadness), the person’s right ventro-lateral region (cortex) became activated at the moment that the emotion was named, and the subcortical regions that respond to facial expressions, especially in the region of the right amygdala, calmed down.
It’s believed that this happens specifically through the secretion of inhibitory neurotransmitters (hence decreasing activity) like GABA or glutamate.
The mind is a powerful thing.
And so is ensuring our mind and bodies work together in the most productive way possible.
