Expert: Rebecca Buchanan - 12/27/2006

Question
hello, i read your intro, and was wondering how do emotions effect your health?? can u give me some examples, and how do u control this?  thanks!!!

Answer
Thanks for the question and I'm glad you ask that!  

First let me say, your emotions are signals to and from your brain to produce hormones and other chemicals to help your body survive.  

Perhaps you've heard of the survival mechanism, fight, flight or freeze?  That is, the “ancient bodies" way of survival.   I say ancient body, but it is also still with us to some degree today.

When we were hunters and gatherers, this survival mechanism might have saved our lives.

Say if a bear decided to attack us.  

Picture the scene like this: A bear surprises us as we are gathering nuts near his cave.  

We are, of course, terrified and the emotion of fear sends signals to the brain.  The brain in turn, releases adrenalin, along with other known and unknown chemicals . . .and we end up either fighting against the bear (with often superhuman strength, depending on the amount of adrenalin released,) or we flee!  Run like mad, to get away.  In some cases we might even freeze . . .play dead.  The bear sniffs us, as we lie in the fetal position, and then walks away.  

All of these responses have to do with our emotional state, and the reaction of the brain to that emotion.

If for some reason we mistook the bear, for say, a large loveable dog, we would not have the same emotions, triggering the same chemicals for survival, and thus the bear might have an easy lunch!

What I’m saying is this: every emotion we experience affects us in some way on a physical level immediately, and/or, over time.

How does emotions affect our health?

The emotion of happiness and action of laughter has proven useful as a tool to help in the recovery of illness.  
“In the first study of its kind, researchers found that sheer anticipation of watching a funny video triggered significant mood changes, reducing levels of stress-related hormones and boosting disease-fighting immunity.
It's the "biology of hope" at work, says lead author Lee Berk, MD, assistant professor of family medicine at the University of California Irvine College of Medicine. His findings were presented at the recent Society for Neuroscience meeting.”

(www.webmd.com/content/article/17/1674_51992.htm)

Where-as the continued emotional state of anger and rage, puts a person at greater risk for many diseases, including heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage," according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenalin. (www.apa.org/topics/controlanger.html)

I published an article this month in Planet Lightworker (www.planetlightworker.com), called The Spiritual Immune System.  (I believe you can only access the article if you subscribe to the magazine?)

I think you would enjoy the article and hopefully have your question answered further, including ways to help alleviate a build-up of emotions, before they can do damage to the body.  

If you are interested in viewing it, let me know, and I’ll be happy to forward a copy that was originally printed in the Ozark Research Institute Journal.  (www.ozarkresearch.org)

Again thanks for your question and your interest.