If You Think You Weren’t Clever in School — Here’s something you need to know…
You may have got through school mostly without access to the cognitive-thinking part of your brain! Can you imagine what you’d have been able to achieve with full access to the part of your brain you needed for problem-solving, comprehension, calculation, creativity, and processing information?
All negative emotions involve the same stress chemicals (including adrenaline and cortisol) that create the emergency “fight-freeze-flight” state. One of the effects of those chemicals in the system is that blood drains from the prefrontal cortex of the brain (where we do our cognitive thinking) to the back of the brain — for survival.
When faced with a bear, there’s no time to think strategically, problem-solve, or negotiate. It’s more important to act instantly and instinctively — and that’s what the back of the brain is for.
