Learn to manage our emotions

What is an emotion?

"Emotion is a complex and intense (with an abrupt onset and relatively short duration) psychophysiological experience of an animal individual's state of mind related to a locatable object as it reacts to biochemical (internal) and environmental (external) influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally includes "physiological behavior, expressive behaviors and consciousness". Emotion is associated with mood, temperament, personality and disposition, as well as motivation...
Emotions have been classified into two categories: simple and complex. An emotion is said to be simple when it involves a facial change or a universal gesture. According to Paul Ekman (1984), simple emotions are fear, joy, sadness, anger, surprise and disgust. Complex emotions are a combination of simple emotions.
In neuroanatomy, each different structure in the brain is responsible for emotional expression and awareness. In fact, depending on the area used, different emotions will be aroused. One example is the amygdala, the region of fear. There are several cases which show that emotions are linked to the brain, such as the case of Phineas Gage.
Emotions influence our daily lives and have an impact on our social environment as well as on ourselves. Indeed, emotions modify and regulate our behavior with others..."

Source : Wikipedia - Emotions - https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89motion

Emotions are part of our humanity, but they must be managed in a standardized way in order to evolve in society. And, if left unchecked, they can create a chain of events, or a series of chains of events, with consequences that can, in extreme cases, become dramatic.

In Switzerland, occupational therapists offer courses and activities for groups of children and teenagers. These programs are designed for "different" children, such as high-potentials, hyperactives or children who are bullied in class, to give them the keys to a better collective experience or to fit in with social norms.

This is part of our occupational therapists' training.

"Occupational therapists help children or adults whose ability to act is limited due to illness, accident, developmental disorders or aging to gain, regain or maintain their autonomy in daily, social, professional or leisure activities. This objective can be achieved essentially through advice and activities tailored to each individual, complemented by the adaptation of equipment and aids, as well as the development of the patient's environment (premises, resource persons)."

Source: HES Occupational Therapist - https://www.orientation.ch/dyn/show/1900?id=924

However, the absence of emotion or empathy is also a kind of emotion that can create other kinds of disturbance, which is why these profiles must also be included in the social norm.

"Other people's emotions are uncomfortable

Empathy has three typologies, including the affective dimension. It refers to our ability to detect, connect with and understand the emotions of others. Now, in empathy deficit disorder, there's a clear discomfort with other people's feelings and emotions. They are upsetting, disturbing and, worst of all, misinterpreted.
If my partner is sad, I may think "he just wants attention". If my colleague seems upset or angry, I may think "let him be, his problems are his own business".

Source: Symptoms of Empathy Deficit Disorder (EDD)
https://nospensees.fr/les-symptomes-du-trouble-deficitaire-de-lempathie-tde/

What is the real root of the problems that emotions can generate?

In reality, it's not the emotion or lack of emotion itself that's the problem.

1. Emotions become a problem when they over- or under-react to the social norm.
   
   
2. The expression of either can generate unreflective actions. This refers to non-cognitive emotions, emotions that don't go through the knowledge box but more the body's self-defense, which could also be called instinctive emotions managed by the part of the brain called the Amygdala, which is also related to the famous Tonsils that are removed from children in case of regular infections.

"Several taxonomies of emotions have been proposed. Some of these categorizations include :
- "cognitive" emotions as opposed to "non-cognitive" emotions ;
- instinctive" emotions (from the amygdala), as opposed to "cognitive" emotions (from the prefrontal cortex);
- simple" emotions (found in many animal species: rage, vigilance, ecstasy, adoration, terror, amazement, grief and disgust) as opposed to "complex" emotions (states constructed from simple emotions and a multiplicity of additional representations: representations of situation, self, object, other, cause)."

Source: Wikipedia - Emotions - https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89motion

"The amygdala or amygdala complex is an even nucleus located in the anteromedial region of the temporal lobe within the uncus, anterior to the hippocampus and below the peria-mygdala cortex.
It forms part of the limbic system and is involved in the recognition and evaluation of the emotional valence of sensory stimuli, associative learning and associated behavioral and vegetative responses, particularly in fear and anxiety. The amygdala is thought to function as an alert system and is also involved in the detection of pleasure."

Source : Wikipedia - Amygdala - https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdale_(brain)

"It was thought that the amygdala reacted in the same way regardless of the stimulus. New research shows that this area of the brain knows how to distinguish pleasure from danger.
You enter your home, one hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, the lights come on and several people emerge from behind the sofa. Should you run away from burglars? Relief, they're friends who've come to surprise you for your birthday. During those few seconds of surprise, your amygdala goes into overdrive. This small, walnut-shaped area in the center of our brain plays a crucial role in our emotions, guiding and dictating behavioral responses.
The amygdala plays a centralizing role in all the sensations that reach us. A caress on the hand, the taste of a pizza just out of the oven, a wild animal spotted in the woods: the signal leaves our organs and arrives first in the amygdala. The amygdala then transmits the information to other areas of the brain, where we then react to these stimuli. It was previously thought that the amygdala could not distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant stimuli. That it reacted in the same way to a gift to be opened as to a bad smell. However, new research published in the journal Nature suggests that the amygdala is indeed capable of differentiating between reward and threat.

Several stimuli, several reactions

In the Cold Spring Harbor laboratory in the USA, neuroscientist Bo Li has just made a series of discoveries about how this tiny brain area works. Among the various neurons present in the amygdala, his team was particularly interested in neurons expressing somatostatin (a neuropeptide widely expressed in the central nervous system) present in the central amygdala and known to control emotional regulation in the face of pain.

To do this, he used laboratory mice, which he trained to associate certain sounds with a reward (water, sugar water, food) and others with a punishment (shock). The mice's brains were monitored throughout the experiment to observe the reaction of somatostatin-sensitive neurons. The surprising result: the amygdala responded differently depending on whether the mice received a reward or a punishment. More precisely, different neurons were activated depending on the type of stimulus induced in the animal. Better still, subpopulations of neurons in this amygdala activated differently depending on the type of reward, depending on whether the mouse received water or sugar water, for example.

Ultimately, the amygdala is less an "alert system" for stimuli of all kinds than an almost sensory area, insofar as it is able to make the fine distinction between all kinds of sensations that come our way. "The nature of the incoming stimulus is therefore a key factor in the neuronal response", confirms Prof. Li to Sciences et Avenir.

Source : Pleasant or dangerous? Comment le cerveau réussit à faire la différence - Coralie Lemke - April 2023 - https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/sante/cerveau-et-psy/agreable-ou-dangereux-comment-le-cerveau-reussit-a-faire-la-difference_170486

So the non-cognitive emotion we're interested in here is a sensory emotion. This means it doesn't go through the reasoned filter of consciousness. This is useful in the extreme case of danger, as the amygdala activates responses that are automatic commands from the body to protect itself.

Like the amygdala, which shares the same name, the amygdala is part of ancient Western medicine, which worked on the body's moods and behaviours. The amygdala fights against viruses and microscopic dangers, and the tonsil fights against other dangers. Is there a link between the two? There have been some poorly documented hypotheses to the effect that children who have had their tonsils removed have profiles that are poorly qualified to defend themselves in the face of various social attacks. This could be the subject of a thesis to be developed.

The impact of Amygdala alterations on our behavior and other brain functions

"Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by early atrophy of the amygdala, the cognitive-emotional repercussions of which are still poorly understood. This review article describes neuroimaging work that has specifically examined the links between anatomo-functional damage to the amygdala and emotional information processing in AD. Disturbances in emotional memory (concerning fear conditioning and the effect of emotion on memory), social cognition (and in particular recognition of facial expressions) and emotional attention have been linked to the amygdala changes seen in these populations.

However, our synthesis highlights the poor reproducibility of these results. We then present new interpretive models of amygdala function and examine their potential contribution to the identification of emotional information processing disorders in these patients. In particular, we argue that studying emotional attention performance within this new theoretical framework is a relevant approach, both for improving differential diagnosis and for better characterizing emotional disorders in relation to amygdala alterations in AD."

Source : Amygdala alterations in Alzheimer's disease: what repercussions? - Jessica Bourgin, Laetitia Silvert, Pascal Hot - Revue de neuropsychologie 2023/1 (Volume 15), pages 17 to 24
https://www.cairn.info/revue-de-neuropsychologie-2023-1-page-17.htm

The amygdala thus has an important mood-regulating function,

Good mood, bad mood, empathy, lack of empathy... and depending on the context, it will generate adapted, over-reactive or under-reactive behavior that can lead to problems with greater or lesser impact.

Here are a few examples.

• You've just broken up with your partner, you're getting into your car and you have a careless accident because your emotions are overwhelming you.
  
  
• You're under intense stress, as with the COVID crisis that confined millions of people to their homes, and all of a sudden you start beating your wife. What actually happens? In fact, high-dose stress is an aggression, and the brain will try to find a comfort zone, often from early childhood, and use it as an automatic model to relieve stress management. And if your early childhood model, which built you up, is that of your father beating your mother or vice versa, then without even passing through your consciousness of right and wrong, you're going to beat your wife.
  
  
• All your childhood, your family has told you that you're not a good person. It's a pain you have to accept and internalize. Some people will come to believe it, others won't, but either way, it's a wound that may or may not be emotionally charged. You go for a drink in a bar and someone tells you that you suck. If someone builds something differently, they'll let it go. But for those of you with this wound inside you, you'll go into defense mode and over-react. Maybe you'll get beaten up, or maybe you'll hurt the person in front of you, or even, in extreme cases, take their life. And then your whole life will be turned upside down.

The importance of emotional management for mental equilibrium

Managing emotions plays an essential role in maintaining mental equilibrium. By learning to recognize, understand and regulate our emotions, we can significantly improve our mental health. Emotions can often be intense and have a negative impact on our well-being if not managed effectively.

When we are able to manage our emotions, we have more control over our thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce stress and anxiety. It also promotes better communication and greater empathy in our relationships with others.
Another important dimension of emotional management is its influence on our ability to make rational decisions. When we're overwhelmed by negative emotions such as anger or sadness, it's difficult to see situations clearly and objectively. Effective emotion management helps us avoid impulsive or irrational reactions that could harm our overall well-being.

What's more, managing emotions can strengthen our resilience in the face of life's difficulties. When faced with challenges or traumatic events, knowing how to recognize and express our emotions in a healthy way can facilitate the healing process. It also helps us to adopt a positive and optimistic outlook, even when faced with stressful situations."

Source: https://henrihelias.fr/ - Managing Emotions: Why is it Essential?
https://henrihelias.fr/sante-mentale/prevention-et-bien-etre/gestion-des-emotions-sante-mentale

Emotional problems can be managed by psychologists in the case of mental problems, by occupational therapists in the case of social integration difficulties, but also by the school. Acknowledging and accepting one's emotions is a very important first step. Do I arrive in class happy, angry, sad...? This is an important point for improving the student and teacher experience.

The intellectualization of emotion, as in the expression "turn your tongue 7 times in your mouth before answering", is also a learning process. A learning process that could also take place at school.

Image source - PDPics - Pixabay