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At Balance 2020, we have looked at the science behind your emotions, from an average person perspective, out of the clinical therapy room. For some understanding how the universal emotions work in the body is a first step towards life balance. Being overrun with emotions can trigger behaviours that set our life off balance. There are certain areas of the brain and set of hormones associated with emotions.
Sometimes, we turn an emotional problem into a body problem without knowing it. It’s called ‘somatacizing. We don’t want to feel bad feelings so we stuff them down or compensate with food, alcohol, cigarettes, distractions. Medically unexplained headaches, stomach problems, back pain stiffness can be attributed to somatacized feelings. Also, excess of feelings and associated hormonal or neurotransmitter activity can lead to physical problems.
When it comes to emotions, it turns out that there are regions in the brain, specifically in the limbic system, that are associated with each of the main emotions.
Emotions are actually experiences that are associated with activation of certain regions in the brain.
What part of the brain processes emotions?
The limbic system is a group of interconnected structures located deep within the brain. It’s the part of the brain that’s responsible for behavioral and emotional responses.
Fear activates the bilateral amygdala, the hypothalamus and areas of the left frontal cortex. This involves some thinking (frontal cortex), a “gut” feeling (amygdala), and a sense of urgency typically associated with survival (the hypothalamus.)
Anger is an important emotion that many people, adults and children alike, try to control. Anger is associated with activation of the right hippocampus, the amygdala, both sides of the prefrontal cortex and the insular cortex.
Sadness is associated with increased activity of the right occipital lobe, the left insula, the left thalamus the amygdala and the hippocampus. The hippocampus is strongly linked with memory, and it makes sense that awareness of certain memories is associated with feeling sad.
Surprise is an emotion that can either make you feel good or it can make you feel bad. Surprise activates the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and the bilateral hippocampus. The hippocampus is strongly associated with memory, and the element of surprise is, by nature, associated with experiencing something that you do not remember or do not expect.
Disgust is an interesting feeling that is often associated with avoidance. This emotion that is associated with activation and connections between the left amygdala, the left inferior frontal cortex, and the insular cortex.
Happiness activates several areas of the brain, including the right frontal cortex, the precuneus, the left amygdala, and the left insula. This activity involves connections between awareness (frontal cortex and insula) and the “feeling center” (amygdala) of the brain.
Dopamine – Motivation and Reward Chemical
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, released by hypothalamus and is involved in focus, attention, memory, drive, muscle control and ovulation. It is associated with alertness, memory, cognition, happiness and vigilance. Low levels of dopamine in the body can result in depression, impulsivity, mood swings, attention deficit, cognitive issues, compulsive behaviour, cravings, apathy and loss of satisfaction in life activities. It inhibits rational thinking as seen in schizophrenia.
Dopamine is important in brain’s reward system and elevations in its level can lead to addictive behaviour, suspicious personality and possible paranoia.
Testosterone – Primary Male Hormone
Testosterone, a hormone produced by testes in men and to smaller extent by ovaries in women. It helps in muscle building, increasing libido, bone mass, muscle strength and energy level.
Testosterone also influences the parts of the brain responsible for regulating emotions. People with high endogenous testosterone levels, have significantly less activity in prefrontal brain regions and less communication between the prefrontal brain and the amygdala (the emotion control regions of the brain), ultimately increasing chances of aggressiveness, depression, impulsivity, anger, mood swings and lowering levels of empathy.
Too little testosterone can also have deleterious effect on male emotional vitality, leading to more passivity, depression, anger, irritability, feelings of insecurity, anxiety.
Serotonin – Happiness Hormone
It regulates wide range of physiological and biological functions including mood, arousal, aggression, thinking abilities and memory. Right levels of serotonin are related to relaxation, mood upliftment. Excess of serotonin causes sedation and apathy, whereas deficiency of serotonin is associated with low mood, lack of will, poor appetite control, anxiety disorders, depression, social behaviour and sexual problems.
Conditions like anxiety disorders, depression, impulsivity, mood disorders, and disturbance in the sleep-wake cycle, obesity, eating disorders, and chronic pain are associated with disruptions in serotonin level.
Progesterone – Female Ovulation and Calming Hormone
Progesterone is seen as female sex hormone produced by a temporary gland within the ovaries called corpus luteum and plays a key role in reproduction. Males need some progesterone to produce testosterone. Our brain is highly responsive to progesterone concentrations. Insomnia, anxiety and migraine are commonly seen with imbalance of oestrogen and progesterone. Progesterone counterbalances the action of oestrogen. While oestrogen has an excitatory effect on brain, progesterone has calming effect. Studies have shown that progesterone shows anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects by activating gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that assists in relaxation and sleep.
Estrogen – Female Emotional Hormone
Estrogen, known as the hormone linked to women’s emotional well being such as premenstrual syndrome. It is mainly produced in the ovaries for women. It acts everywhere in the body including the area of the brain responsible for emotion. Some effects in the brain include increasing the level of serotonin and modifying and the effects of endorphins, the ‘feel-good’ chemicals. The impact of estrogen on emotion is individual to each woman. Some report that the administration of estrogen increases good mood whereas others report increased anxiety. Men also produce estrogen (converted to estriadol) mainly in the testes. In a study, men reported increased emotional responses when administered with estrogen. Too much estrogeni in males has been linked to infertility and depression. Alcohol can affect oestrogen levels in males.
Cortisol – Stress and Activity Hormone
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates a wide range of vital processes throughout the body, including metabolism and the immune response. It also has a very important role in helping the body respond to stress. The secretion of cortisol is mainly controlled by three inter-communicating regions of the body; the hypothalamus in the brain, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland. Almost every cell contains receptors for cortisol and so cortisol can have lots of different actions depending on which sort of cells it is acting upon. These effects include controlling the body’s blood sugar levels and thus regulating metabolism, acting as an anti-inflammatory, influencing memory formation, controlling salt and water balance, influencing blood pressure. There is a strong correlation between activity and higher cortisol levels and it is associated with adrenaline and triggering our ‘fight or flight’ response. Common thinking associates cortisol with negative mood states, as seen in Cushing’s syndrome. Some studies have found that cortisol is related to a variety of physiological and psychological challenges that may or may not cause a bad mood.
Endorphins – Pain reliever
Endorphins are neurotransmitters, chemicals that pass along signals from one neuron to the next. Neurotransmitters play a key role in the function of the central nervous system and can either prompt or suppress the further signaling of nearby neurons. The class of endorphins include three compounds – α – endorphin, β – endorphin and γ – endorphin.
Endorphins are produced as a response to certain stimuli, especially stress, fear or pain. They originate in various parts of the body — the pituitary gland, spinal cord and throughout other parts of brain and nervous system — and interact mainly with receptors in cells found in regions of the brain responsible for blocking pain and controlling emotion.
Endorphins block pain, but they’re also responsible for our feelings of pleasure. It’s widely believed that these feelings of pleasure exist to let us know when we’ve had enough of a good thing and also to encourage us to go after that good thing in order to feel the associated pleasure. Maintaining a balance in these brain chemicals is a key for balanced emotions.
Acetylcholine – Information Processor Neurotransmitter
Acetylcholine (Ach) is the primary neurotransmitter released from nerve endings in both central and peripheral nervous system. It is in charge of muscle movement, alertness, concentration and memory. When levels are optimal, mood is elevated, mind is focused and intelligence increased. But with the levels, learning, recall and ability to think clearly can plummet.
It also controls primitive drives and emotions like anger, fear, rage and aggression. With an imbalance in these neurotransmitters these emotions can affect both the individual and people around them.
Note that there is an inverse relationship between acetylcholine and serotonin (if one increases the quantity of other decreases). In lower amounts, Ach act as a stimulant for brain to release more dopamine and serotonin. But too much Ach inhibits this stimulation and causes depression.
Oxytocin – The Bonding Hormone
Oxytocin is a hormone that is made in hypothalamus and released into the blood by pituitary gland. It plays a role in pro-social behaviour, sexual reproduction, and during and after child birth. It evokes feelings of contentment, calmness, security and reductions in anxiety levels, thus known as the ‘cuddle hormone’. Oxytocin inhibits activity in the brain areas associated with behavioural control of fear and anxiety and protects against stress. Nasally administered oxytocin has been reported to reduce fear, by inhibiting activity in the amygdala (brain area responsible for fear responses). It increases trust, empathy, and social interaction and is responsible for romantic attraction and subsequent monogamous pair bonding. MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), an addictive drug commonly called as ‘ecstasy’, increases feeling of love, empathy and connection by stimulating oxytocin activity in the brain.
Deficiency of oxytocin is involved in pathophysiology of depression and is related to poor communication, more anxiety and fear, disturbed sleep, sugar cravings and irritability.
Adrenaline – the ‘fight or flight’ hormone
Adrenaline (epinephrine), known as the energy hormone is produced in the adrenal glands and helps your body react more quickly. Once the amygdala in the brain sends a stress signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the automatic nerves to the adrenal glands. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, increases the blood supply to the brain and muscles and boosts energy supplies. When adrenaline is released suddenly, it’s known as an adrenaline rush. If there is no release for the adrenaline, e.g. burning energy with physical exercise, negative emotions such as anger and irritability can arise and be channeled in an unhealthy way. Adrenaline works in the short term, whereas the related stress hormone cortisol works in the long term. As the levels of adrenaline start to come down, the level of cortisol rises and takes longer to leave the body. Constantly engaging in activities or stress situations which trigger adrenalin production will increase cortisol levels in your body which becomes damaging to your health.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) – Brain Activity Regulator
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is produced from glutamic acid (an amino acid) in the body. It slows down the activity of limbic system (the emotional alarm bell) reducing fear, anxiety and panic.
It acts like a natural tranquilizer and suppresses the hormone prolactin that stimulates night time incontinence.
Glutamic acid and vitamin B6 helps in manufacture of GABA. Zinc also enhances GABA release and inhibits glutamate release- an excitatory neurotransmitter.
Most of the patients with bipolar disorder have lower GABA level and this accounts for their restlessness and anxiety.
Melatonin
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Emotional Intelligence