Without losing direction

Joy, nostalgia, sorrow, gratitude… we feel them from the heart. It is to this organ that we usually link our emotions, yet their origin is a bit further north in our body, specifically in the brain.

Here, the limbic system plays a leading role, responsible for regulating emotions, motivation, and memory. When an emotion is triggered, the limbic system initiates a series of neurochemical and hormonal responses that affect both the brain and the body. In other words, the limbic system is activated, and an emotional response is produced.

What is the process that follows?

When a person receives an emotional stimulus—such as an experience, an image, or a thought, for example—this information is processed by several areas of the brain, including the amygdala, which is essential for evaluating the emotional relevance of the stimulus.

If the stimulus is deemed emotionally relevant, the amygdala sends signals to other parts of the limbic system, such as the hippocampus (involved in the formation of emotional memories) and the hypothalamus.

It is the hypothalamus that activates the pituitary gland, which in turn regulates the release of hormones from the adrenal glands and other glands in the body. These include adrenaline and cortisol in response to stress, or dopamine and oxytocin in response to pleasurable stimuli.

Joining this “party” is the orbitofrontal cortex, which sends emotional commands to the frontal lobe and is responsible for planning our actions once the emotional impulse is received, as well as for stopping those irrational impulses we might experience.

A complex and incredibly important process in our body because, as we say, we are emotional beings.