Our Brains Do More Than Fight or Flee

For decades, I’ve followed the evolving brain science behind emotions and behavior. In The Brain and Emotional Intelligence, I explain the role of the section of our brains called the amygdala and what I call “amygdala hijacks.” Scientists have known for many years that the amygdala is the brain’s radar for threat. It tells us to fight or flee. A key part of emotional self-control is being able to recognize and manage the amygdala’s hair-trigger response to perceived threats.

New research shows a broader role for the amygdala in feeling positive emotions. Psychologists William Cunningham at the University of Toronto and Alexander Todorov of Princeton University and their colleagues found the amygdala also can play a role in compassion, human connection, and happiness.

In a study published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, they looked at the amygdala’s reactions when research participants were shown pictures with different emotional content. As they expected, the negative pictures provoked amygdala activity. Such activity also showed up when the participants viewed positive images, as long as they were told to focus on those pictures.

Commenting on those findings, the researchers said “while people do automatically attend to negative stimuli, given the proper ability and motivation, they can show the same sensitivity to positive stimuli.”

Cunningham and Todorov also were part of a team that found a connection between the amygdala and compassion. When research participants were shown pictures of people needing help, their amygdalas showed an increase in activity. This was especially true for people who had scored high in empathy.

Why This Research Matters

I’m excited about this research because it relates to three of the twelve Emotional Intelligence competencies: emotional self-control, positive outlook, and empathic concern.

Why do these three competencies matter in the workplace?

With Emotional Self-Control, we manage our distressing emotions. Imagine emergency responders in the midst of a crisis calmly doing what needs to be done. Of course, they feel fear, anger or sadness, but they manage those feelings in the moment. Not every leader faces life-or-death emergencies, but they all can experience disturbing feelings. The emotionally intelligent leader has the self-awareness to recognize those feelings, and the skills to stay level-headed despite them.

When you have a Positive Outlook, you see the good in even challenging situations. You recognize the negative and also identify the ways those challenges may lead to opportunities. Leaders with this outlook more easily adapt to the change that is a constant in today’s work world.

Empathy is key to all of our dealings with other people. I’ve written about the three forms of empathy – cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and empathic concern. With empathic concern, we are able to sense what someone else needs and express how we care about those needs. Leaders with empathy can tune in to the emotional signals of individuals and groups. By being able to grasp the perspectives of others, such leaders can work well with a wide range of people.

Develop Your Emotional Intelligence

The good news about emotional intelligence is that it’s something we can develop. Brain science has shown us we can strengthen the connections between the different parts of our brains. Just like working out at the gym builds physical muscles, you can strengthen your emotional intelligence “muscles” by regular “workouts.”

Emotional Self-Control: Start by building another emotional intelligence competency, self-awareness. I talked about that in a recent post. One key is to recognize situations that “trigger” distressing emotions. Sometimes, it is easiest to see those triggers with hindsight. Pay attention if you hear yourself saying “I know I shouldn’t schedule important meetings with my boss the morning after I chair a long city finance committee meeting.” Look back at situations where you didn’t effectively control your feelings. What can you learn from the timing, setting, and people involved that help you recognize triggers to avoid?

Positive Outlook: Consider advice my colleague George Kohlrieser shared in a discussion from one of my video series. He said to imagine that your mind’s eye is like a flashlight. With that flashlight, you can look for positive or negative information. Intentionally shining the light on the positive, the opportunity, helps build this competency. Think back on the biggest challenge you faced at work last week. It’s easy to name the negative aspects of that difficult moment. Take the time to list three positive opportunities that arose from it.

Empathy: Practice looking at another person and listing in your mind the ways in which they are like you. And, how are they different from you? Ask your coworkers what they like about their work. And, what is hard for them.

* * * * *

If you’d like to learn more about developing emotional intelligence, I encourage you to join Tara Bennett-Goleman and me at Omega Institute in August for Connecting Emotional Intelligence with Mindful Habit Change: A Gentle Path to Awakening. Tara is a teacher, psychotherapist, and author of Mind Whispering and the New York Times best-seller Emotional Alchemy.