your heart ever beaten so hard
and fast, you thought the whole class
would hear it? Strong emotions can
even make you feel as though your
heart were climbing up into your
throat.
Fight or Flight?
When you’re upset, your heart beats faster and you
start breathing more quickly. It’s your body’s way of
responding to protect you.
That thumping heart is part of your body’s “fight-or-flight”
reaction, and it goes back to when humans first walked the
earth.
Suppose you were a cave girl, just hanging out one day
with your cave friends, when a fierce and hungry cave bear
charged into camp. Your body’s automatic responses would
help you either tangle with the bear (fight) or run for your
life (take flight). If you didn’t do one or the other, you’d
probably get eaten.
In order to fight or run away, your body would need to
pump more blood to your heart (thus the pounding feeling).
It would need to get your legs ready to run (thus the tight
muscles). Your breathing might slow down at first so that you
could be quiet and size up the situation. Then you’d probably
breathe faster than normal, supplying extra oxygen to your
body. You might sweat and get goose bumps in order to keep
cool.
You can have a fight-or-flight reaction even when there isn’t
any serious danger, such as when you have to give a speech or
when you hear bad news. Your body may react the same way
you would have reacted as a cave girl, even though no hungry
bear is sizing you up for lunch.
Why Do You Cry?
Ever laugh till your sides split? Watch a sad movie?
Goof up badly on your history test? There’s a reason
any of these things can leave you in tears.
Crying is an outward sign that you feel strongly about some-
thing—usually not getting something you want or getting
something you don’t want. Everybody cries, even grown-ups
and boys. Sometimes those tears just have to roll.
Tears serve a purpose. When you cry because of your
emotions (not because of chopped onions), your tears
release certain chemicals in your body. Scientists think
these chemicals might actually make you feel better.
So it’s OK to cry. Honest. Crying is a normal reaction to strong
emotions. But some people cry so often that it becomes a
problem. They get their feelings hurt easily and may think
others don’t like them.
When I’m sad, I cry. Crying is a way to express your feelings.
You feel better after it’s all over. I also talk out loud to
myself so the sadness doesn’t stay as a lump in my stomach.
Katherine, Michigan
Crying shouldn’t replace talking about your feelings or taking
actions that might help a situation. Tears just aren’t the same
as words. If you want people to understand what you are
feeling or to know how to help, take a few deep breaths—
and start talking.
Feeling Out of Control
Sometimes, before you even know what’s going on,
you can find yourself feeling angry, weepy, or tingly with
excitement. That’s parts of your body responding to your
brain releasing hormones.
Yikes! Sometimes it seems as if you can’t control your feel-
ings. That’s because feelings are often instantaneous reactions
caused by your brain triggering chemicals called hormones
that course through your body.
The amygdala (ah-mig-duh-luh) is a small part of your brain
that scientists think is responsible for the way you feel. These
two little almond-shaped groups of cells react automatically
to situations that your brain thinks are funny, sad, or disturbing
in some way, such as someone jumping out at you in the dark
or a balloon popping. Whether you’re laughing or crying at a
movie or screaming as you go down a log ride at an amuse-
ment park, your amygdala is hard at work.
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