Believe it or not, neurologists have found that the physiological lifespan of an emotion in the body and brain is 90 seconds. Physiological means the sensations - adrenalin, heat in the face, tightness in the throat, rapid heartbeat, and they arise, peak, and then dissipate on their own.
“Feelings are like ocean waves,” says psychologist Alyson Stone, “they rise, crest and recede, all day long.” We can all relate. But according to brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, these waves last just 90 seconds. After that, we're simply re-stimulating our internal circuitry.
That's the 90-Second Rule. As described by brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, “When a person has a reaction to something in their environment, there's a 90-second chemical process that happens; any remaining emotional response is just the person choosing to stay in that emotional loop.”
Each burst of emotion chemicals, from the time its produced in the hypothalamus to the time it's completely broken down and absorbed, lasts about six seconds.
Out of 27 emotions in total, the researchers found that sadness was the longest-lasting emotion; shame, surprise, fear, disgust, boredom, being touched, irritation and relief, however, were the shortest-lasting emotions.
Sadness is the longest lasting of all emotions taking on average 120 hours to pass. Hatred is the second most enduring emotion followed by joy which lasts an average of 35 hours. Guilt lingers longer than the hot burn of shame; and fear tends to pass fairly quickly compared to anxiety which generally lasts much longer.
We don't need to learn any rocket science to understand it but a pure and innocent soul is enough to feel Love and lost in the depth of it.
A strategy for dealing with difficult emotions!
A fantastic strategy that promotes rational thinking is the 24-hour rule, also known as 'sleeping on it,' This strategy provides time to consider a question or situation and allows you to respond without unintended emotion calmly and rationally.
Moods can last for hours while emotions last anywhere from seconds to minutes, at most. This is why it's typically easier to identify emotional triggers but difficult to pinpoint the trigger for our moods. Moods also don't have their own unique facial expressions whereas the universal emotions do.
There is no set-in-stone rule for this. You can lose your feelings in a few weeks or take years to let go of those feelings. Most times, it depends on how deeply you loved them, how you prioritize your healing process (and cut all ties with them), and how you are taking care of your needs at the moment.
After counting down from five, she stood up, and that's how she discovered The 5 Second Rule. It changed everything. Today, as she spreads awareness of the rule, she defines it as follows: “If you have an impulse to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill the idea.”
To be more precise, what are the four goals of psychology? In a general sense, they are to describe, explain, predict, and control behavior and mental processes. Each of these goals represents a different focus that psychologists can take when studying a phenomenon.
Enter the 90/10 Principle. The 90/10 Principle was popularized by Stephen Covey, the amazing author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It states that: 10% of life is made up of what happens to you, and 90% of life is decided by how you react. We truly have no control over 10% of what happens to us.
The 90-second chemical reaction of emotions
After 90 seconds, the initial chemical reaction is over. If you still feel fear, anger, anxiety, or any other emotion, it's not your physiology that's fuelling it – it's your own thoughts re-stimulating the chemical changes.
Shame is possibly the most difficult emotion we feel, and hard to manage. Sometimes we cover it up by pleasing others, or by trying to be perfect.
Try paying close attention to your emotional and physical symptoms. It also helps to remove yourself from the situation (if possible) and take deep breaths until you calm down. It may take some time and several tries to truly gain control of highly emotional situations.
This is when the “90-second rule” comes in handy. According to Harvard brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, ninety seconds is all it takes to identify an emotion and allow it to dissipate while you simply notice it.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.
It can also cause us to feel stressed, depressed, or anxious. In some cases, we may even feel deeply angry or rageful and develop feelings of resentment toward others. “There is some evidence that bottling up your emotions can lead to physical stress on the body,” says Dr. Mullen.
Here is the 10 Second Rule to stop an emotional reaction from occurring. When you feel your blood start to boil or that tightness in your stomach, STOP and count to 10. That is enough time to stop the trigger from activating. Then BREATHE deeply at least three times.
Emotional trauma can last from a few days to a few months.
Some people will recover from emotional trauma after days or weeks, while others may experience more long-term effects.
Anger. This tends to be the easiest for beginning actors to achieve. Sometimes just volume can bring it on.
Reason is infinitely more powerful than emotion if we make proper and conscious use of it. It allows us to regulate the emotional response. It leads us to balance the conflict. It gives us the ability to feel our emotions properly and modulate them in response to a stressful stimulus.