which part of the brain controls emotion

The downstairs brain is the part of our brain that makes us act without thinking. Let’s have another look at the emotional, downstairs brain and the rational, upstairs brain. How downstairs brain and the upstairs brain Then, every time we have the same or similar experience, those connections become stronger…we are learning. What that means is, every time we experience something, our brains form a connection between the cells and structures about memories, emotional reactions, and skill learning. The first five years of life sees over 90 percent of the brain’s growth occurring with the formation of the connections directly linked to a child’s life experiences and emotional interactions with others. The main structures are all there, but the connections between them – the brain wiring – is still very sparse, especially in the upstairs, rational brain (cerebrum). When a child is born their brain size is only 25% of what it will be as an adult. Ok, now we are familiar with some of the major parts of the brain involved in behaviours and emotions we can look at how they interact with each other and influence behaviors through development, how we can help our kids understand what is happening, and what we can do to help our kids (and ourselves) to better manage behaviors and emotions. This part of the brain can over react sometimes (think of a child in a tantrum, or even our own reaction when the kids start fighting with each other) so needs a helping hand from the “rational brain” frontal lobes to settle down. These three structures are part of what we call the “emotional brain” or “downstairs brain” and activate strong emotions and urges. Finally, another structure called the Hippocampus (hip-uh-KAM-pus), organises memories so the amygdala can interpret an event. The fight-or-flight response is what happens when our bodies tense up, become more alert, and ready for action to either escape (flight) or defend ourselves (fight). If the amygdala interprets something as threatening, it sends messages to another structure called the Hypothalamus (HI-pO-thal-a-mus), which controls the release of hormones into the body to get you ready for a fight-or-flight response. The Amygdala (uh-MIG-duh-luh) is a group of cells that interprets the emotional meaning of everything that happens to you. If we then jump to the centre of the brain, we find some strangely named parts that play a big role in emotions. It is also known as the “higher brain”, “rational brain”, or the “upstairs brain”. This is the part you will hear about most regarding the expression and regulation of emotions and behaviors. The frontal lobe is at the front of the head and is responsible for planning, organisation, logical thinking, reasoning, and managing emotions. This is often broken down into lobes or sections of the brain: the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobes, and occipital lobe. The largest section of the brain and closest to the surface is the Cerebrum (suh-REE-bruhm) or Cortex. The brain is compartmentalised for our understanding but in reality all the parts work in complex, intertwined ways. You don’t have to be a brain specialist though to appreciate some of the basics about the brain’s role in emotions and behaviors in both ourselves and our children. The brain is the most important and complex organ in our bodies.

The parts of the brain that effect Our Psychology, Emotions and Behaviors

Which part of the brain controls emotion