Neocortex, amygdala, limbic system, norepinephrine, are physiological elements that intervene in our emotions, and that until now had been unknown to those who subscribe and, in fact, to many common mortals.
The biological design that governs our emotional spectrum has not evolved for five or fifty generations; It is a system that has been present in us for more than fifty thousand generations and that has contributed, with proven success, to our survival as a species. Therefore, we should not be surprised if on many occasions, faced with the complex challenges presented by the contemporary world, we instinctively respond with emotional resources adapted to the needs of the Pleistocene.
It is very easy to condemn someone who does not have the ability to control their emotions when faced with a certain stimulus, it is also very easy for many to say that, due to the blows of life, they have reached a point of lacking emotions and feelings. Even people with a much higher IQ seem to lose control of their emotions, this article tries to understand what comes into play, when that cluster of "strange things" come into play… emotions.
Around the brain stem, which constitutes the most primitive region of our brain and which regulates basic functions such as respiration or metabolism, the limbic system, which contributes emotions to the repertoire of brain responses, was configured. This system adjusts to the changing demands of life, this complex system is what makes human beings recognize danger, anger, joy and, what many flee from, passion and falling in love.
The neocortex is the brain region that differentiates us from all other species and in which everything characteristically human rests. This produced a number of unsuspected and highly sophisticated combinations on the emotional plane, since its interaction with the limbic system allowed us to expand our range of reactions to emotional stimuli and thus, for example, to fear, which leads to other animals To flee or defend ourselves, we human beings can choose to make other decisions, decisions that often simply happen and that, after the event has arisen, we can recognize with astonishment.
Likewise, with the neocortex, the ability to have feelings about our feelings, induce emotions or inhibit passions emerged in us, then, thanks to this soft tissue stored in our brain we can assert that it is impossible for a healthy person to not have feelings about their feelings, because according to the literature consulted, this is only possible if there is a base pathology in the amygdala.
A child's drawing, an adult analysis
The unique anatomy of our emotions
We will take as a point of reference and similarity the drawing of a peculiar flower drawn by a 7-year-old girl, in what could be taken as a display of pure creativity and the use of all the brain elements available to the human being and that, she, for the innocence of her age, has not yet given herself the task of trying to manipulate.
The drawing in question is loaded with vibrant colors, at first glance it seems to be a one-eyed face, a kind of caricature of Matt Groening's first pininos, but instead it is the purest expression of the brain activity of this little girl.
The drawing, which we will call "Genesis" because of what it might represent, represents the dichotomy between the emotional and the rational, resembling the popular distinction between the heart and the head. The flower "Genesis" belongs to an order of conviction different from the rational or the real one, that is, to what is a real representation of a flower. The intense colors used for "Genesis" could represent the intensity of the emotions of the unreal, that which escapes our logical mind, and that immerses us in the deepest and most fascinating unreality that, when operating in collaboration with the rational mind, guides us properly throughout the world.
Erroneously, those who presume to be more intellectually cultivated than the rest of the world claim to have total control over emotions, however, neurological studies overturn this belief, since it is the thalamus that is responsible for carrying the stimuli received by the senses and transmitting them to the neocortex, from where they travel to the limbic system and it elaborates a response.
It can be said that only 20% achieve a greater control over emotions since, as with mathematics or reading, emotional life is an area that they can master with greater or lesser skill. Those who adequately govern their feelings, and know how to interpret and effectively relate to the feelings of others, enjoy an advantageous situation in all domains of life, however, they must be aware that control over it, in a conscious way It must be constant, since it is usual for the purely biological part of the brain to take the reins.
From authors and researchers
The power to manage our emotions intelligently has been all the rage since David Goleman published his book "Emotional Intelligence" in 1995. This best seller managed to penetrate the population so much that from that moment the management of human emotions became a weapon to succeed or fail in life.
Before Goleman spoke of emotional intelligence and taught the world how this can be a tool for employees to succeed in organizations and for the individual to have a full life, other characters had spoken of emotional intelligence, although they had not received greater appreciation for it.
The so-called Aristotle Challenge had promoted for many years the idea that emotions could be controlled and that this could be the beginning of a full life.
"Anyone can become angry, that is very simple. But getting angry with the right person, in the right degree, at the right time, with the right purpose and in the right way, that certainly is not so easy. " (Aristotle)
Since then, emotional intelligence began to be a subject for some authors, who, in low profile, made severe criticisms of intelligence as it was traditionally conceived. One of them was Howard Gardner (1983), who saw intelligence as a range of skills, highlighting two types: interpersonal intelligence that allows us to understand others and intrapersonal intelligence that allows to configure a true image of oneself. (Goleman, 1995).
It is in 1990 when two psychologists Peter Salovey and Jhon Mayer presented the term Emotional Intelligence, which five years later would bring David Goleman's work to fame.
From that moment on, emotional intelligence is seen as the ability to control and regulate our feelings and those of others and also use them as guides for action. If we stop a bit at the concepts that have been presented since then about emotional intelligence, everyone agrees on this intelligence as a skill that all human beings can develop and use to our benefit.
Since Goleman dismissed the importance of IQ in defining an individual's future, a little more attention has been paid to the way emotions are managed and how this can define the success that a certain individual has. individual can have in life.
Emotional intelligence determines the way we relate to others and comprises four groups of skills such as: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and empathy.
In conclusion
Emotions, that which many of us flee from, we have the ability to keep it at bay, but it should not be forgotten that they are the product of a complex anatomy formed by centuries of evolution, it could be said then that MY POINT IS THAT the most intelligent thing is learn about them.
