How the Brain Affects Our Emotions

This week I studied the relationship between the brain and ones emotions. These were my findings:

Last week I mentioned synapses and how they send neurotransmitters throughout the brain. Some neurotransmitters are dopamine, a transmitter that causes happy feelings, and norepinephrine, a transmitter that regulates stress and anxiety. A lack of these neurotransmitters can cause negative feelings.

Obviously there's more emotions than happiness and anxiousness. In Charles Darwin's publishing of The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, he established that emotions such as love, lust, and fear are a natural and necessary part of evolution. In my Emotions Before Thought blog post, I talked about how we are unconsciously taught to fear and appreciate things. The brain automatically creates a stimuli to the things we were taught to fear and love and uses said emotions so your body acts accordingly. This is similar to the fight-or-flight phase your body takes on when a stressful situation presents itself.

There is also a part of the the brain called the limbic system, more commonly known as the emotional brain. It mainly consists of the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and the amygdala. This part of the brain is mainly responsible for regulating emotions as well. In the end, emotions are the brain's way to carry out homeostasis and make sure are bodies are functioning well.

Throughout my studies I continually learn how great and complex the brain is. This week I will study memories with the help of my friend who is specifically studying that topic.

Until Next Week,
Factual Faith