The Amygdala Hijack: Staying out of the danger zone
We are experiencing stress more than ever. A global pandemic, followed by an ongoing war in Ukraine, instability in the UK government and the rise in the cost of living are giving many individuals and families immense challenges. While we all know that a certain amount of stress can keep us on our toes , helping us to achieve tasks and meet deadlines, excessive amounts mean that we become more controlled by the original survival part of our brains.
The survival part
When our ancestors lived in the jungle, they were totally focused on survival. They had to flee predators, find water and food, and protect themselves from the weather. They were at risk of attack or physical danger much more than we are today . To cope with this, they developed fight flight or freeze responses to enable them to deal with wild animals, aggressive tribesmen or extreme weather conditions . These fight flight freeze responses are based in part of our original brain known as the amygdala, responsible for processing emotions.
The amygdala hijack
Clearly in modern life , we usually do not have to deal with threats to our physical wellbeing However, the amygdala does not realise this and is still primed for a fight ,flight or freeze reaction in response to stress. Although today’s challenges are more psychological than primal, the primitive part of our minds still thinks that it needs to ensure that we survive physically. Problems such as losing a mobile phone, running late to work , missing a deadline or being criticised by a line manager provoke us to react in a similar way to if we were being chased by a lion. Our heart rates go up, our adrenaline and cortisol levels increase , we feel angry or fearful or hopeless.
This phenomenon was referred to the “ amygdala hijack” by Daniel Goleman and describes an instant emotional response that is completely disproportionate to the stimulus that has triggered it. The amygdala has activated the fight or flight response when there is no serious threat to survival. When this happens, we feel additionally stressed because the fight flight response recruits every part of our minds and bodies in order to escape from the perceived danger . We become less able to think clearly and to control our rational responses. We then lose control of the situation and the stress increases. The fact that our response to stress is hard wired in this way makes it difficult to prevent this stress response from happening
If we have repeated episodes of acute stress, or stress which is triggered by previous traumas, we can become chronically stressed where we feel hopeless, disempowered and lacking in energy or motivation. In this situation we can become increasingly negative, as our amygdala remains centre stage and we constantly look out for threats to our survival.
Stress at Work
Organisations , as a collective, can also act in ways that appear to replicate our primitive forebears. They can develop survival modes of working during challenging times. A culture of micromanaging or an increased emphasis on task completion can become evident as companies seek to gain competitive advantage or to meet new requirements. In these situations, job demands can increase, communication decrease, poor management practices become the norm and relationships deteriorate, A vicious cycle can develop where employees become more stressed and less productive resulting in the organisation trying to different ways of regaining control, thereby raising the overall stress levels.
What can be done?
Those organisations that prioritise the wellbeing of their employees, in ways that genuinely support them and go beyond the legal minimum requirements can make huge gains in terms of both stability and productivity. This support could be help with all aspects of health and fitness including managing energy, nutrition and mental health. Encouraging proper breaks as well as physical activities and providing psychological and emotional coaching can support every employee to perform at their best.
Summary
The role of primitive emotions as part of individual psychological stress responses cannot be overestimated. People experience a complex array of negative emotions such as depression anxiety anger and distress during stressful events . When these negative emotions take control both individuals and organisations can go into survival modes of operating which increase stress.
Those organisations that understand the connection between employee wellbeing and business performance and treat it as a priority to genuinely support employees and minimise stress responses, will gain significant benefits in terms of increased employee engagement and reduced turnover and absence.