09/24/2026
The myth that "letting it all out" is good for you is false. Unloading on those around you with angry outbursts isn't cathartic, no matter who has told you so. New research reveals that the brain and body suffer, as do those upon whom you unload.
When you explode in anger, your amygdala hijacks your frontal cortex, which is meant to be the brakes for impulsive thoughts and behavior. The frontal cortex handles executive functions like decision-making and self-control. That's the part of your brain you want to strengthen, not weaken.
Every time you act impulsively in anger and let it all out, your amygdala takes over. It is not part of the brain's executive control system. It just processes emotion, especially threat detection, fear, and emotional memories.
When your amygdala is triggered, your entire body feels it. It calls out the troops for fight or flight. Your heart rate increases, pumping blood to your muscles; your breathing speeds up; your pupils enlarge to let in more light; adrenaline and cortisol surge through your body; and you can even begin to sweat. It deactivates your frontal cortex for the moment, so remember that you have taken your foot off the brakes that check impulsivity.
If you are truly in a dangerous situation, your body is ready to act - to fight or take flight. This is good. If you are merely in a disagreement or argument with a loved one, friend, employer, employee, etc., this can result in actions or words you regret later.
An even more serious result of letting it all out is that you strengthen the connections to the amygdala through synaptic plasticity. You cause repeated firing of the neurons in the amygdala, making these pathways easier to trigger in the future. In other words, the more you vent your anger, the easier it becomes to vent your anger in the future.
WHEN IN AN AMYGDALA HIGHJACK, PEOPLE DO AND SAY THINGS THEY WOULD NEVER DO IN A DIFFERENT STATE.
When we are spent with this anger, our bodies pay the price. They go through a huge physiological crash and reset. Hormone levels drop while hormones of cortisol and adrenaline remain elevated for hours or even days! As a cop, I felt this drop after a dangerous encounter. Blood returning to your gastrointestinal tract can cause nausea; you can feel exhausted from the massive energy expenditure and begin shaking. And, finally, comes cognitive and emotional fatigue, especially if the anger was over the top, followed by guilt and regret. This isn't good for your cardiovascular system either, if you experience it regularly.
We are creatures who run on energy, frequency. Others can feel our emotions, and they impact others in ways we are only recently discovering. If a study on hateful thoughts toward plants, from beyond a wall, caused the plants to die, but loving thoughts toward plants behind a wall caused those plants to thrive, what do our hateful, angry emotions do to those around us - and to the world?
But every time you stop, take deep breaths, and allow yourself a moment to halt the amygdala hijack - and there are many ways to do this - then you strengthen your frontal cortex and its ability to put the brakes on impulsive thoughts that lead to impulsive words and actions in the future.
Do you want to learn some methods of strengthening your frontal cortex when triggered?
