Feeling Your Feelings: The Head-to-Toe Science of Emotions

Feeling Your Feelings: The Head-to-Toe Science of Emotions — page 5
Stomp Your Feet Your little brother spilled grape juice on your favorite T-shirt You're going to get him Stomp Stomp Stomp You won't even need to explain that you're angry Your brother will know by the sound of your feet We humans walk more heavily when we're mad This is true no matter where we're born Timbuktu or Toronto New York or New Delhi In fact even elephants and rhinos stomp when they're angry When you get mad your body acts like you're under attack A burst of adrenaline a chemical messenger sends blood to your muscles and releases extra sugar into your bloodstream Scientists call this the fight or flight or freeze response Your body is ready for action Your little brother probably isn't a physical threat but your body doesn't know that This part of your nervous system developed thousands of years ago when people regularly encountered wild animals And now your body is ready to fight So even if you don't plan on punching anyone your stomping warns other people that your body's in battle mode Watch out little brother Stress Test Have you ever had any of these reactions during a stressful situation Heart racing to send extra blood to your muscles Lungs working overtime for extra oxygen Hands up to protect yourself Pupils dilating so you can see danger Muscles tensing and ready