You’ve probably experienced how hard it can be to control your emotions in times of stress.
When your ancient brain takes charge, your modern prefrontal cortex powers down and may even go offline for a while.
This may seem like an evolutionary glitch in your programming. Yet your system is designed for survival first.
People who appear cool under pressure can retain some executive function—an ability to wield decision-making even in the face of adversity.
In situations of severe stress, these folks don’t have the full capacity of higher brain function—they’d do poorly on a Sudoku puzzle, but they are still able to keep primitive, emotional reactions in control.
Controlling emotion during stress seems to come naturally to some people, but it can definitely improve with practice as well.
