Data
The female brain is better at handling emotive data. (Gurian, Michael, PhD. The Wonder of Boys. NY: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1996, pp 18-19)
Defensive Aggression
Defensive aggression is related to strong emotions, notably fear and anger. (Wilson, Glenn. The Great Sex Divide. England: Peter Owen Publishers, 1989, pp 119-120)
Depersonalization
Depersonalization can occur during acute trauma (e.g., car accident). At the time the event is experienced in a distant way, seemingly without emotion. But in fact the emotional memory is being formed in the limbic system and later it can flood back. Because it was laid down in isolation, without being bound to words, such a memory may not have any describable content—it will just be a replay of the emotional state that the person was in when it was laid down. Panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder may be a late effect of this type of depersonalization. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Exploring Consciousness. CA: University of California Press, 1998, pp 264-267)
Depression
Depression is not a single clinical condition so the same treatment doesn’t work on all depressed people. It afflicts about 15% of the population. Monoamines are involved (e.g., serotonin). The adrenal cortex secretes more cortisol, which can decrease neurotrophins (brain food). (LeDoux, Joseph. Synaptic Self, How Our Brains Become Who We Are. NY: Penguin Books, 2002, pp 272-282)
A well-defined area of the prefrontal cortex is underactive in the depressed brain. The same area is smaller in the left hemisphere of depressed patients but not in that of controls. (Brynie, Faith Hickman. 101 Questions Your Brain Has Asked About Itself But Couldn’t Answer, Until Now. CT: Millbrook Press, 1998, p 95)
Studies: antidepressants usually begin to work within 1-6 weeks, while psychotherapy usually takes 6-8 weeks. In some studies there were no differences in overall responses observed (e.g., drugs versus therapy) so need to address underlying causes. (Glenmullen, Joseph, MD. Prozac Backlash. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000, pp 252-258)
Depression was the 4th leading cause of disease-burden in 1990 and by 2020 will be the single leading cause. (Childre, Doc. Freeze Frame. CA: Planetary Publications, 1994, 1998, pp xvi-xvii)
Depression apparently can lead to atrophy of the hippocampus (that can be related to memory difficulties). (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. PA: Rodale, 2003, p 122)
(Attributed to Carolyn Stearns, massage therapist). Underneath your depression is anger. Underneath anger is sadness. Underneath sadness is fear – which may be the root of the depression. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, p 244)
Studies: brain changes indicative of depression can occur in nondepressed volunteers if they allow themselves to think sad or depressing thoughts. Initially, it may be negative thoughts and attitudes that unfavorably alter brain function (one’s mental attitude is important). As depression deepens, this sequence may change with the dysfunctional brain producing increasingly depressive thoughts. (Restak, Richard, MD. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot. NY: Harmony Books, 2001, pp 112-116)
Reports on studies that correlate religious commitment with a lowered risk for depression. (Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20 / 20 Thinking. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003, pp 264-268)
For contextual depression (e.g., events related), try exercise, meditation, and appropriate nutritional supplements before automatically going on medication. Take responsibility for exploring stress-reducing techniques with your health care provider. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000.)
Fat in fish (or flaxseed oil) can help to protect arteries from clogging and the heart from shutting down, as well as the brain from depression. This may help explain why depression often precedes and predicts heart disease. (Carper, Jean. Your Miracle Brain. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000, p 79)
Lack of dopamine is believed to be a factor in the lethargy and mind-numbing effects seen in the syndrome of depression. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. CA: University of California Press, 1998, p 66)
Depression may be different from anger. Depression may be anger turned inward, or anger extinguished, or a sequel to anger. (Tavris, Carol. Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1982, pp 101-104)
One of the reasons for depression may be to allow the brain/body to conserve energy in times of stress. (Fisher, Helen. Why We Love. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2004, pp 170-175)
The brains of people who are depressed are generally much less active than normal, but certain areas show overactivity (e.g., outside edge of the prefrontal lobe, amygdalae, upper middle portion of the thalamus). (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. CA: University of California Press, 1998, p 100)
Study: May be a gene on chromosome 6 (close to genes involved with CAH – the masculinizing of female fetuses, and with schizophrenia) that is involved with depression. (Durden-Smith, Jo, and Diane deSimone. Sex and the Brain. NY: Arbor House Publishing, 1983, pp 160-161)
Discusses several major types of depression including symptoms, and suggestions for therapies (major depressive disorder, dysthymia or chronic depression, bipolar disorder or manic depressive illness, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and situational depression). (Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20 / 20 Thinking. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003, pp 189-204)
Serotonin, a stimulant, is produced by day, whereas melatonin, a depressant, increases when it is dark. Depression appears to be closely linked with melatonin levels, and sufferers tend to show rapid improvement in response to natural sunlight or light therapy using full-spectrum lamps. (Graham, Helen. Discover Color Therapy. CA: Ulysses Press, 1998, p 15)
Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and with suicide. (Fisher, Helen. Why We Love. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2004, pp 175-180)
German studies: individuals (ages 65-91) who had vitamin deficiency (especially thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and vitamin C) were much more likely to be depressed, emotionally unstable, excitable, nervous, anxious, angry, irritable, easily discouraged, and fatigued. (Carper, Jean. Your Miracle Brain. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2000, pp 206-207)
Study: brain changes indicative of depression occurred when nondepressed volunteers thought sad or depressing thoughts. In initial stages at least, negative thoughts/attitudes alter brain function unfavorably. As the depression deepens, this sequence may change with the dysfunctional brain producing increasingly depressive thoughts. (Restak, Richard, MD. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot. NY: Harmony Books, 2001, pp 112-116)
Studies of clinical depression: people had higher levels of activity in the right frontal lobe, and lower levels in the left frontal lobe (compared to people who had never been depressed). (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 220-222)
Anxiety can be triggered by loss, especially when the loss is either impending or thought to be temporary, but it contains some hope. Depression or despair can surface if the loss appears to be permanent. (Viorst, Judith. Necessary Losses. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1986, pp 31-33)
The ventromedial or subgenual cortex (the brain’s emotional control center in the prefrontal cortex) is very active during bouts of mania, and inactive (along with other prefrontal areas) during depression. The connections with the limbic system beneath closely bind the conscious mind with the subconscious. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Mapping the Mind. CA: University of California Press, 1998, p 197)
Explains importance of helping children prevent depression through helping them develop strategies for dealing with difficulties. There is a connection between even mild childhood depressive episodes and more severe episodes later in life. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 242-244)
Women synthesize brain serotonin at half the rate of men, which may help explain why women are more prone to depression. Serotonin circuits also grow weaker with age because neurons lose receptors needed to activate serotonin. (Carper, Jean. Your Miracle Brain. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2000, p 10)
Depression may be the result of psychological distress rather than the cause of it (e.g., serotonin levels). (Glenmullen, Joseph, MD. Prozac Backlash. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000, pp 190-205)
Studies: children who ate breakfast had 40% higher math grades and were less apt to be absent or tardy from school. Non-breakfast-eaters were twice as likely to be depressed, four times as apt to have anxiety, 30% more likely to be hyperactive and have a variety of psychosocial problems. (Carper, Jean. Your Miracle Brain. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000, p 113)
Descriptions
Emotions are an inner source of energy, influence, and information. They are inherently neither good nor bad. It is what we do with the information and energy they produce that makes the difference. (Cooper, Robert K., PhD., and Ayman Sawaf. Executive EQ. NY: Grosset/Putnam 1997, pp 12-13)
Experts distinguish among emotion, mood, and temperament. Emotion is most transient and identifiable in terms of what causes it; mood can last for hours or days and is less easily traced; temperament is genetically based. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, p 132)
Detachment
Early childhood losses make one sensitive to later losses. Suggests that emotional detachment (along with compulsive caretaking and/or premature autonomy) is a defense against loss. (Viorst, Judith. Necessary Losses. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1986, pp 31-33)
Can be described in young children as a type of pathological mourning (e.g., can be due to separation from or maternal deprivation). The quality of relationship with the primary caregiver is crucial to healthy development. (Karen, Robert, PhD. Becoming Attached. NY: Oxford University Press, 1994, 1998, pp 100-102)
Development
Brain parts that process emotion grow relatively early, and a very sensitive to parental handling and feedback. (Diamond, Marian, PhD, and Janet Hopson. Magic Trees of the Mind. NY: A Dutton Book 1998, pp 124-126)
The critical period for developing emotions occurs from 10-18 months. If patents regularly respond to baby with delight, the child’s circuits for positive emotions are reinforced. If parents respond with horror, the fear circuits will be reinforced. Prolonged depression in the mother conditions the baby for depression. (Ratey, John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. NY: Vintage Books, 2002, p 42)
Disconnect, Emotions from Intellect
Emotions need to be connected with the intellect. When the analytical mind is engaged with emotions and intuition, your senses and emotional intelligence can scan in moments through hundreds of possible choices or scenarios to arrive at an optimum solution in a matter of seconds instead of hours (and the solution will be as good or better than if intellect was relied on solely). (Cooper, Robert K., PhD., and Ayman Sawaf. Executive EQ. NY: Grosset/Putnam 1997, pp xii-xiii)
Discouragement
Emotional survivors recover quickly from feelings of discouragement. They avoid dwelling on the past or on what has been lost, and direct their energy to getting things to turn out well. (Siebert, Al, PhD. The Survivor Personality. NY: A Perigee Book, 1996, pp 194-195)
Disgust
The same area of the brain that responds to offensive tastes (anterior insula) is also activated when one person sees another make a face showing disgust. (Ratey, John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. NY: Vintage Books, 2002, p 75)
Dissociate Identity Disorder
Depersonalization is characterized by a flattening of emotion, likely related to abnormal activity in the pathways leading to and from the limbic system. “Stuck” in this part of the brain, the information cannot flow up to the prefrontal cortex to create conscious emotion, nor can it form a memory, or be translated into words. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Exploring Consciousness. CA: University of California Press, 1998, pp 264-267)
Dissociate Identity Disorder
As many as one person in 100 may have DID. Many people with DID go for years—perhaps their entire lifetime—without realizing their condition. All they know is that they have inexplicable blanks in their memory and that other people report that during this time they have behaved in an odd way. (Carter, Rita, Ed. Exploring Consciousness. CA: University of California Press, 1998, pp 264-267)
Dopamine
Refer to Substances and the Brain for additional information.
Dopamine, a brain chemical that creates a sense of well-being, is enhanced by endorphins. (Hartmann, Thom. The Edison Gene. VT: Park Street Press, 2003, pp 129-130)
Downshifting
Refer to Downshifting of the Brain for additional information.
Dyssemia
Approximately 1/10 children has a learning disability related to nonverbal messages. They may misread emotional cues and/or send emotional messages that create uneasiness in others. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 120-122)
Electromagnetic Energy
Refer to Electromagnetic Energy for additional information.
The electromagnetic radio spectrum of the heart is profoundly affected by a person’s emotional response to the world. The emotional response changes the hearts electromagnetic spectrum, which is what the brain feeds on. Ultimately, everything in your life hinges on your emotional response to specific events (Mercogliano and Debus 1999). (D' Alberto, Attilio, BSc (Hons). Cellular Memory and ZangFu Theory. Article.)
Emotion
Divides the spectrum of human emotion into two groups: primary (happiness, anger, fear, sadness, surprise, disgust); secondary ( social emotions of pride, jealousy, embarrassment, and guilt). (Johnson, Steven. Mind Wide Open. NY: Scribner, 2004, pp 36-38)
Emotions are in constant flow unless you try to block them. To stop any of your internal information from flowing is to invite stagnation, toxicity, and eventual release in forms beyond your conscious control. (Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind. Candace Pert, PhD. Audio Cassettes. Sounds True, Boulder, CO.)
Emotions include the basic sensations of pain and pleasure, drive states such as hunger and thirst, and familiar human experiences (e.g., fear, anger, joy); plus a variety of subjective experiences unique to humans (e.g., spiritual inspiration, awe, and bliss). (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000.)
Emotions are motivating forces. Compares them to an engine that provides energy to propel the vehicle. (Twerski, Abraham, MD. Addictive Thinking. CA: Harper & Row, 1990, pp 51-52)
Each emotion appears to have specific and unique physiological responses (e.g., fear causes vasoconstriction, anger leads to vasodilatation). (Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. GA: Bard Press, 1994, 2000, pp 361-370)
Each emotion likely has a specific neural circuitry in the brain (University of Iowa’s Antonio Damasio from PET scans). (The Secret Life of the Brain. Richard Restak, MD The Dana Press and Joseph Henry Press, p 111)
Each emotion offers “a distinctive readiness to act.” (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, p 4)
Emotions exist in the body as informational chemicals, neuropeptides and receptors. Emotions also exist in the realms you experience as feeling, inspiration, love—beyond the physical. They flow freely between both realms, connecting the physical and the nonphysical. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, p 307)
States that each major emotion comes with its own unique set of cues that are automatically generated by the body based on some trigger or stimulus. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 295-296)
All emotions are healthy, because emotions are what unite the mind and the body. Anger, fear, and sadness, the so-called negative emotions, are as healthy as peace, courage and joy. To repress these emotions can destroy integrity of the system and create stress that can lead to disease. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, pp 192-193)
Emotions are all positive, each serves a purpose. The way in which people deal with them can be either positive or negative. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1996, pp 14-20)
Experts distinguish among emotion, mood, and temperament. Emotion being the most transient and clearly identifiable in terms of what triggers it; mood lasting for hours or days and being less easily traced; and temperament being genetically based. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY, Scribner, 1997, p 132)
Only one core emotion can be in place at a time. There may even be a specific neuropeptide associated with each. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000.)
Emotions and feelings are mediated by distinct neuronal systems. Emotions appear to be automatic responses to sensory stimuli. Feelings are subjective experiences that emerge from the cognitive processing of an emotion eliciting state. (Lynch, Zach, PhD. Emotions in Art and the Brain. Britain: THE LANCET Neurology, Vol 3, March 2004, p 191)
Emotions are highly intense, fleeting, and sometimes disruptive to work. Moods tend to be less intense and longer-lasting, but typically don’t interfere with the job at hand. An emotional episode usually leaves a corresponding lingering mood. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002, pp 6-8)
Boys move more emotive material down from the limbic system to the brain stem where fight-or-flight responses are stored. Girls move more emotive material upward to the cerebrum where complex thought occurs. (Gurian, Michael, PhD, and Patricia Henley, with Terry Trueman. Boys and Girls Learn Differently! CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001, p 29)
Emotions and memory are closely interrelated. The earliest and oldest memory is usually an extremely emotion-laden one. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, pp 143-144)
Emotions, like all the other information conveyed from peptide to receptor, are never still—unless you try to block them from taking their natural course. To block flow is to invite stagnation, toxicity, and eventual release in forms beyond one’s conscious control. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000.)
The immune system can be boosted by even small pleasures (and suppressed by negative emotions). What is important is not which emotion surfaces but your reaction to it. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1996, pp 14-20)
You begin to enter the real world of the bodymind when you are willing to experience all emotions. Uncomfortable feelings such as grief, fear, and anxiety are central to the integrity of your experience as a human being. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000.)
Emotional systems such as components of love (e.g., lust, romantic attraction, and attachment) are independent. Because of this they can cross interact and create havoc. (Fisher, Helen. Why We Love. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2004, p 152)
The theory that the brain (or a certain part of the brain) controls emotions is probably an incomplete assumption. Emotions arise simultaneously in the brain and in the cells of the body. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, pp 133-134)
Emotions are neutral. Depending on the perception that triggers them they can provide warmth, vibrancy, and clarity or be like a dark cloud, making it difficult to see solutions. When the heat of the emotions is turned down, the mind can see more options. (Childre, Doc. Freeze Frame. CA: Planetary Publications, 1994, 1998, p 62)
Study: Emotions spread whenever people are near one another, even when the contact is only noverbal. When three strangers sit facing each other in silence for a minute or two, the one who is most emotionally expressive transmits his or her mood to the other two without speaking a word. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002, pp 6-8)
Emotional Approach
The approach-withdrawal continuum describes one’s basic emotional approach to life. You tend to use the left hemisphere to approach (e.g., signals of joy and pleasure); and the right hemisphere to withdraw (e.g., the site of anger and disgust). (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self.. NY: HarperCollins, 1995, pp 5, 39-40)
Emotional Blackmail
Males are more likely to be victims of emotional blackmail. Females are more likely to use emotional blackmail to get their way rather than directly asking for what they want. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Have a clue and Women Always Need More Shoes. NY: Broadway Books, 2004, pp 72-76)
Emotional blackmailers may appear strong but they have a poor self-image. They are bullies who lack self-confidence, are usually fearful, and try to destroy the victim’s self-image by accusing him/her of qualities they themselves possess (e.g., selfishness, self-centeredness. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Have a clue and Women Always Need More Shoes. NY: Broadway Books, 2004, pp 85-90)
Emotional Comfort
Studies in intensive care unit: the comforting presence of another person lowers blood pressure and slows secretion of fatty acids that block arteries. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002, pp 6-8)
Emotional-Cortical Brain
The amygdala in the emotional brain can trigger an emotional response because the higher cortical centers have fully understood what is actually happening. In other words, anatomically, the emotional brain system can act independently of the cortical brain system. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 18-19)
Emotional Debt
This term reflects an inability to process feelings of the moment as well as the sum total of your adaption to all the hurts and nurturing – your unique history. It directly reflects one’s self-esteem (high emotional debt reveals low self-esteem). (Viscott, David. MD. Emotional Resilience. NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1996, pp 282-286)
Emotional Dependence
Males have fewer same-sex confidents. Teenage boys are more emotionally dependent on girlfriends, men on sweethearts during a romance, or wives. (Fisher, Helen, PhD. The First Sex. NY: Random House, 1999, pp 275-276)
Emotional Environment
The development of a child’s emotional circuitry is impacted by the emotional environment he/she is exposed to, especially in the early years of life. (Childre, Doc and Howard Martin. The HeartMath Solution. CA: Harper SF, 1999, pp 228-230)
Emotional Fragility
Emotional fragility in females may result from having so many emotive functions they become overwhelmed by the emotional material; boys from having fewer brain functions available to process emotion. (Gurian, Michael, PhD, and Patricia Henley, with Terry Trueman. Boys and Girls Learn Differently! CA: Jossey-Bass, 2001, pp 31-33)
Emotional Intelligence
Refer to Emotional Intelligence and the Brain for additional information.
Emotional Memories
Whenever a traumatic memory surfaces, forge new associations by reliving the trauma without something negative happening. This lessens their power. (Johnson, Steven. Mind Wide Open. NY: Scribner, 2004, pp 202-204)
Emotional Responses
Bad emotional responses can be unlearned and healthier responses learned. (Singh, Dalip. Emotional Intelligence at Work. India: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. 2006, pp 64-65)
Emotional Skills
Learning good emotional skills early in life helps to support competencies such as self-control and the drive to achieve, collaboration, and persuasion. It requires motivation and more effort and energy to learn those skills in adulthood. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002, pp 104-106)
Emotional State
Harvard Medical School Study of Framingham Heart Study Results: Your emotional state depends not just on actions and choices you make, but also on actions and choices of other people, some of whom you don’t even know (Nicholas Christakis, MD). (Dotinga, Randy. Being Happy Affects Even Those You Don’t Know. US News & World Report. 2008. Article.)
Emotional Stress
Emotional stress may increase one’s risk of cancer: directly (e.g., trigger abnormal cell development) or indirectly (e.g., reducing immune competence or surveillance). (Cousins, Norman, MD (honorary). Head First. NY: Penguin Books, 1989, pp 80-100)
Emotional Tears
Emotional tears help restore physiological and emotional balance by removing toxic substances from the body. They contain ACTH, prolactin, growth hormone, and endorphins, as well (e.g., cleanse the mind as well). (Ornstein, Robert, PhD, and David Sobel, MD. Health Pleasures. NY: Addison-Wesley, 1989, pp 220-222)
Emotional Valence
Term that refers to a positive or negative limbic-based sensitivity that accompanies every thought. Suggests a benefit in training oneself to recognize the valence accompanying each thought. (Restak, Richard, MD. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot. NY: Harmony Books, 2001, pp 164-168)
Emotions, Definition
Emotions represent a human being’s warning system to alert him/her to what is going on in and around the person. It is a complex state that involves bodily changes in breathing, heart/pulse rate, flushed face, sweaty palms, and glandular secretions. Emotions result from exposure to specific situations. (Singh, Dalip. Emotional Intelligence at Work. India: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. 2006, pp 30-31)
Emotions are states triggered by an event. (Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. GA: Bard Press, 1994, 2000, pp 370-372)
Emotions, Main Categories
Main categories include: Happiness, Anger, Anxiety (fear), Disgust, Surprise, Embarrassment, Depression (sadness), and Love. (Singh, Dalip. Emotional Intelligence at Work. India: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. 2006, pp 31-32)
Emotions On-Off Switch
Emotions such as fear and aggression appear to surface in the right pre-frontal lobe. The brain’s left pre-frontal lobe seems to hold the “off” switch for keeping distressing emotions in check. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 25-26)
Empathy, Building
Building emotional intelligence happens only with sincere desire and concerted effort. It requires more effort to strengthen an ability such as empathy (compared to risk analysis) because the limbic brain learns more slowly and takes more practice than the cortex. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002, pp 104-105)
Endorphins
Refer to Substances and the Brain for additional information.
Endorphins are neurochemicals that contribute to a positive mood. Their production is stimulated by physical exercise (refer to Exercise and the Brain). (Hartmann, Thom. The Edison Gene. VT: Park Street Press, 2003, pp 129-130)
Energetic Transaction
Studies at McGill U related to “energy to information to matter”: Depressed patients held containers of water. Barley seeds placed in these containers showed a suppressed rate of growth. (Pearsall, Paul, PhD. The Heart’s Code. NY: Broadway Books, 1998, pp 52-54)
Energy
Refer to Energy and the Brain for additional information.
Your thoughts and feelings (mental diet) is at least equally important to proper nutrition. Your inner thoughts, feelings, and impressions directly impact your energy level. Your energy rises when you are enthusiastic. (Childre, Doc and Howard Martin. The HeartMath Solution. CA: Harper SF, 1999, pp 89-91)
Emotions are a field of energy. They are everywhere in the body and the brain. (Pert, Candace, PhD Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind. CO: Sounds True, 2000.)
You are composed of many energy systems that encompass thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Every thought can be energetically calibrated for its impact on your body and environment.
You can raise your energy levels. (Dyer, Wayne, PhD. The Power of Intention. CA: Hay House, Inc., 2004, pp 68-69)
Energy, Emotional
Research: Laughter is one of the best ways to discharge constricted emotional energy. (Lipton, Bruce, PhD. The Biology of Belief. CA:Mountain of Love/Elite Books, 2005, pp 196-197)
Epictetus
Writings in The Enchiridion by the Greek philosopher, Epictetus: Disturbances resulted not from events themselves but from the individual’s perception or opinion about the events. (Has been referred to as the 20:80 Rule.) (Benson, Herbert, MD., with Marg Stark. Timeless Healing: The Power and Biology of Belief. NY: Scribner, 1996, pp 260-261)
Environment
The heart’s electromagnetic field extends beyond your body. This carries information about your emotional state to people and the environment around you. (Childre, Doc and Howard Martin. The HeartMath Solution. CA: Harper SF, 1999, pp 228-230)
Exam Fear, Stress
When students are frightened (e.g., exam stress) they cannot access cerebrally stored information. (Lipton, Bruce, PhD. The Biology of Belief. CA:Mountain of Love/Elite Books, 2005, p 151)
Expression
Activity of the right hemisphere enables us to both express our own emotions and read the emotions of others. (Restak, Richard, MD. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot. NY: Harmony Books, 2001, pp 73-74)
Emotional expression is associated with the frontal lobes. (Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. GA: Bard Press, 1994, 2000, pp 361-370)
Facial Expressions
Girls usually read facial emotions on others more accurately than boys, due in part to boys having a smaller corpus callosum. (Gurian, Michael, PhD. The Wonder of Boys. NY: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1996, pp 14-16)
Within minutes of birth the newborn is able to imitate facial expressions. By just six weeks after birth, the newborn returns the caregivers smile—the first sign of a positive social emotion, called positive affect by psychologists. (Quartz, Steven R., PhD, and Terrence J. Sejnowski PhD. Liars, Lovers, and Heroes. NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2002, p 173)
Each emotion carries with it a distinct facial expression. (Restak, Richard, MD. Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot. NY: Harmony Books, 2001, p 83)
Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust have the same facial expressions in all cultures. (Quartz, Steven R., PhD, and Terrence J. Sejnowski PhD. Liars, Lovers, and Heroes. NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2002, p 253)
Studies: Facial expressions for anger, fear, sadness, enjoyment, and disgust are basically identical in any race. Facial expressions that register surprise, contempt, shame/guilt are likely identical, also. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, p 132)
Families of Emotion
Each emotion or family of emotions (e.g., joy, anger, fear, sadness) offers a distinctive readiness to take action). (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 4, 290)
Fear
In general, human beings appear to be born with some specific fears (e.g., heights, snakes). (Benson, Herbert, MD., with Marg Stark. Timeless Healing. NY: Scribner, 1996, pp 87-90)
Extending your fear by projecting it into the future simply encourages more fear. This creates an even greater energy drain. Believing in those fears can help bring them into reality. (Childre, Doc and Howard Martin. The HeartMath Solution. CA: Harper SF, 1999, pp 174-175)
The purpose of fear is to protect you, to alert you that something is wrong, to warn you of danger, and to initiate responses for a successful defense or escape. (Viscott, David. MD. Emotional Resilience. NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1996, pp 72-74)
Chronic anger and fear can trigger permanent changes in one’s chemical profile, which may actually become encoded in the genes and be passed on to the next generation (which may become successively more aggressive). (Karr-Morse, Robin, and Meredith S. Wiley. Ghosts from the Nursery. NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997, pp 167-168)
Fear of the unknown tends to be the biggest reason for resistance to change, even positive change. (Hay, Louise L. You Can Heal Your Life. CA: Hay House, Inc., 1984, pp 60-62)
Males may engage in self-destructive and/or risky behaviors in order to prove they are not afraid (e.g., scaredy-cat, coward, no balls, sissy). (Goldberg, Herb, PhD. The Hazards of Being Male. NY: Nash Publishing, 1976, p 59)
Study: Students tended to feel less fear and nervousness when involved in their work. Sensory signals can go directly to the amygdala, the fear center, bypassing the cortex. If a person is fearful ancient survival mechanisms can be triggered. (Zull, James, E., PhD. The Art of Changing the Brain. Virginia: Stylus Publishing, LLC, 2002, pp 60-61)
Fear is triggered when you watch a horror movie because part of the brain reacts as if it were real (even if you know it is pretend). (Newberg, Andrew, MD., and Mark Robert Waldman. Why We Believe What We Believe. NY:Free Press, 2006, pp 28-29)
Any fear or anger shifts energy and attention from the neocortex to the reptilian brain (see also Downshifting in Brain). (Pearce, Joseph Chilton. The Biology of Transcendence. VT: Park Street Press, 2002, pp 30-36)
In order for the amygdala to respond to fear (specific stimulus), the prefrontal region must reciprocally back down. When the amygdala is unchecked by the prefrontal cortex, pathological fear may result (e.g., patient must learn to increase pre-frontal activity to balance the amygdala). (LeDoux, Joseph. Synaptic Self. We Are. NY: Penguin Books, 2002, pp 213-218, 289)
Fear is a relatively uncomplicated emotion and floods body with adrenaline. Sadness and joy are much more complicated and their pathways are more difficult to trace. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1996, pp 27-30, 210-212)
Guilt and fear are related to a poor self-image. Fear and guilt can be put into perspective by generous amounts of love, allowing one to get on with life. (Fox, Arnold, MD, and Barry Fox, PhD. Wake Up! You’re Alive! FL: Health Communications, 1988, pp 88-90)
Like rage, chronic fear may be genetically based. Fear, like rage, can be modulated by appropriate care-giving behavior. (Karr-Morse, Robin, and Meredith S. Wiley. Ghosts from the Nursery. NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997, pp 200-201)
Fear of Snakes
The fear of snakes seems to be built into the brains of both animals and human beings, and has been found to exist independent of prior exposure. (Rosenthal, Norman, MD. The Emotional Revolution. NY:Citadel Press, 2003, p 10)
Feelings
Others do not make you feel good or bad. Consciously or unconsciously you choose how you feel. It is important to take personal responsibility for your feelings. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, p 321)
The power to change or transcend your feeling world comes from within you, from your own heart relaying its intelligence through your emotions. Heart intelligence enables you to accomplish what your mind cannot do if it is out of sync with your heart. (Childre, Doc and Howard Martin. The HeartMath Solution. CA: Harper SF, 1999, pp 146-147)
Feelings, Definition
Feelings are what a person experiences as a result of emotions having been triggered. (Singh, Dalip. Emotional Intelligence at Work. India: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. 2006, pp 30-31)
Female Style
Females are socialized to express feelings/emotions, but may think that talking is enough, may rehearse problems and brood, failing to take corrective action. (Tavris, Carol. The Mismeasure of Women. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1992, pp 268-269)
Firstborns
Eldest children typically are not demonstrative and may have difficulty showing affection. (Brothers, Joyce, PhD. What Every Woman Should Know About Men. NY: Ballantine Books 1981, pp 40-45)
Flexibility
Being conscious of one’s emotional state allows for valuable flexibility of response. (Cooper, Robert K., PhD., and Ayman Sawaf. Executive EQ. NY: Grosset/Putnam 1997, pp 12-13)
Flooding
Males tend to “flood” at a lower intensity of emotional negativity. They secrete more adrenaline into their blood stream when flooded. Male stoicism may be a defense against emotional overwhelm. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 140-142)
Food
Food can be a catalyst for almost any emotion. Used positively it can express joy, love, or acceptance. Used negatively it can express bribery, guilt, or fear of rejection. (Woodman, Marion. Addiction to Perfection. Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books, 1982, pp 21-23)
Forced Separation
Studies of infants as young as 10 months and response to forced separation from their mother, correlated with activity in their prefrontal regions: infants who cried or turned fussy showed increased right-sided prefrontal activity compared to infants who didn’t get so upset. This is also true of adults. (Restak, Richard, MD. The New Brain. PA: Rodale, 2003, pp 200-201)
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is the ability to release from the mind past hurts, failures, sense of guilt, and loss. You accept responsibility for your own perceptions, realizing they are a choice and not an objective fact. It does not condone negative inappropriate behavior in any person, or pretending everything is okay when it isn’t. (Hafen, Brent Q., et al. Mind/Body Health. MA: Simon & Schuster, 1996, p 390)
Negative feelings (e.g., recrimination, resentment, remorse) can occupy the brain. Defines forgiveness as acknowledging that no debt exists. This is a gift people need to give themselves and others. (Cousins, Norman, MD (honorary). Head First. NY: Penguin Books, 1989, p 110-112)
Through forgiveness, can convert suffering into new energy to move forward. It partly depends on choice and partly on compassion. It releases trapped energy for use elsewhere. (Cooper, Robert K., PhD., and Ayman Sawaf. Executive EQ. NY: Grosset/Putnam, 1997, pp 74-75)
Forgiveness is a gift to you that allows your body to turn down the manufacture of chemicals that are tearing you apart. It instructs your subconscious to banish negative feelings from your mind. When you say, “I forgive you” you’re also saying, “I want to be healthy.” Forgiveness is a way of not harboring destructive feelings that sap health and happiness. (Fox, Arnold, MD, and Barry Fox, PhD. Wake Up! You’re Alive! FL: Health Communications, 1988, pp 102-107)
The process of forgiveness includes six stages:
- Clearly stating actual wrong
- Define the debt incurred
- Transfer debt to your Higher Power
- Mark debt “paid in full”
- Absorb cost for your healing
- Live forgiveness in everyday life
(Sanford, Timothy L, MA. I Have to be Perfect. CO: Llama Press, 1998, pp 117-127)
Frontal Cortex
The frontal cortex is just as dependent on the free flow of the peptides of emotion through the psychosomatic network as any other part of the bodymind. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, p 289)
Frontal Lobes
Left frontal lobe houses both positive and negative emotional expression. The right frontal lobe houses only negative emotional processes. (Howard, Pierce J., PhD. The Owner’s Manual for the Brain. GA: Bard Press, 1994, 2000, pp 361-370)
Fuel
Emotions are like free fuel for your system; if left unmanaged, they can be highly flammable. (Childre, Doc. Freeze Frame – One Minute Stress Management. CA: Planetary Publications, 1994, 1998, p 62)
Gender
Chronic hostility and repeated episodes of anger increase male’s risk for heart disease. Anxiety and fear increase female’s risk for heart disease. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 174-176)
There are no differences between men and women in the emotions they experience, or in how intensely they experience them. There are differences in expression, often based on socialization. (Tavris, Carol. The Mismeasure of Women. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1992, p 263)
The area of the brain associated with emotion is larger in women than it is in men. (Tanenbaum, Joe. Male & Female Realities. NV: Robert Erdmann Publishing, 1990, pp 130-131)
Adult relationship problems may have their roots in very different lessons taught in childhood (e.g., girls connect and discuss emotions; boys compete and ignore emotions). (Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 129-132)
Gender and Emotional Processing
The female brain processes more emotive stimulants, through more senses, and more completely. It also verbalizes emotion information quickly. Boys can take hours to process emotively and manage the same information as girls. (Gurian, Michael, PhD., and Patricia Henley with Terry Trueman. Boys and Girls Learn Differently! SF: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company, 2001, pp 30-31)
Grief
Grief is the process of healing from the pain of loss. Study: average recovery time from bereavement was from 18-24 months. (Padus, Emrika, et al. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. PA: Rodale Press, 1992, pp 87-90)
Five stages in grief process for a person facing his/her own death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. (Dodd, Ray. The Power of Belief. VA: Hampton Roads Pub. Co. Inc., 2003, p 37)
Refer to Grief Recovery Pyramid Article on www.arlenetaylor.org (designed to help survivors move through grief recovery).
Summary: the grief-stricken person makes a mental picture of being with the lost/unavailable person. If they would mentally step inside that same picture, they could recover the positive kinesthetic feelings of good experiences shared (e.g., difference between closing eyes and seeing yourself on a roller coaster at top of first big drop, versus picturing what you would see if you were riding). (Bandler, Richard, and John Grinder. Frogs into Princes. UT: Real People Press. 1979, pp 59-64)
Grief, Kubler-Ross Steps
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. (Designed to help the individual who is facing death.) (Joy, Donald M., PhD. Bonding. TX: Word Books, 1985, p 79)
Grieving
Study: Rate of recovery after loss is associated with the extent to which people are able to find some meaning in the loss. Many recover surprisingly quickly from intense grief. (e. g., 30% of parents who lost babies as a result of sudden infant death syndrome never experienced significant depression, 82% of bereaved spouses were doing well two years after the death). (Wilson, Timothy D. Strangers to Ourselves. England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002, p 141)
Successful grieving is characterized by: a nurturing social network, balanced diet, healthy fluid intake, regular exercises, and appropriate rest. (Padus, Emrika, et al. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. PA: Rodale Press, 1992, pp 88-90)
Grieving and Gender
The male’s unwillingness / inability to articulate grief may take two extreme forms. The typical male pattern of coping with loss is to run from it. The other extreme response takes the form of a total emotional shutdown. (Tavris, Carol. The Mismeasure of Women. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1992, pp 261-26
Guilt
Easy to feel guilty if you imagine the response on someone’s face when you did something they didn’t like. If however you step outside the picture (reverse the procedure that you use with grief) you no longer feel guilty, because then you literally get a new perspective. (Bandler, Richard, and John Grinder. Frogs into Princes. UT: Real People Press. 1979, p 64)
Our society cultivates guilt feelings in women to the extent that many feel guilty if they are anything less than an emotional service station to others (quoting Harriet Lerner). No one else can make you feel guilty. (Shaevitz, Marjorie Hansen. The Confident Woman. NY: Harmony Books, 1999, pp 201-204)
Others can only succeed in making you feel guilty if you agree to pick up the guilt. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Have a clue and Women Always Need More Shoes. NY: Broadway Books, 2004, p 152)
Gut Feeling
Distinguish between informed and uninformed gut feelings. Collect as much information as possible, to allow your subconscious to make an informed evaluation. (e.g., it would be unwise to marry the first person you are attracted to. If you get to know him/her well and still have a positive gut feeling, that’s a good sign.) (Wilson, Timothy D. Strangers to Ourselves. England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002, p 171)
The amygdala (emotional brain layer) lets you know its conclusions primarily through circuitry extending into the GI tract that create gut feelings. They offer a guide when facing a complex decision that goes beyond the data at hand. (Goleman, Daniel, PhD, with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee. Primal Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2000, pp 42-44)
People often ignore “gut feelings” and information provided through differing peptides. They use food to suppress emotions and/or eat when they are not truly hungry. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, p 297)
Gut Reaction
This term describes what is believed to happen when the nervous system in the solar plexus communicates directly with the lower brain centers and activates primal instincts. The central brain affects the gut and it can talk back to the head. (Childre, Doc and Howard Martin. The HeartMath Solution. CA: Harper SF, 1999, p 189)
Brain References 
