How do we “hold back” emotions? What is happening in our brain? Why is it so difficult to hold back the urge to cry?
In: Biology
One reason it is so hard to hold back the urge to cry is because crying is a survival mechanism in a way, it sends a distress signal to those around us that we need help and something is wrong. That is a primal instinct, just like screaming when frightened. It tells your pack of humans that something is wrong. The brain doesn’t want us to override a survival mechanism.
Another reason is that crying is brought on by rushes of hormones in response to emotional stimuli, and hormones are pretty darn hard to resist. Ever been absolutely FURIOUS and can feel the adrenaline rushing through your veins? Your adrenal gland and adrenal cortex (two glands in your body) have released adrenaline,–pretty hard to resist the call of those hormones, to sit still and be calm or magically not be angry anymore. Same with crying,–it is hard to resist the biological call of those hormones.
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