Imagine your lives without emotion

Yes you imagined right it would be empty of values

First let us understand emotion

Emotions enable us to react to situations – for example, anger or fear will set your heart racing,
and feeling happy will make you smile.

This is a general definition

What is the scientific definition of emotion
An emotion is a mental state brought on by chemical changes in our body, feelings
associated with thoughts, behaviours and pleasures.
Our emotions are essential for keeping us safe.
We Human being have emotions from the moment we are born – a combination of clever
mechanisms involving cells and chemicals inside our nervous system that are designed to
keep us safe.
Different types of emotions send different messages through your nervous system to the heart, brain and body.
You can feel your emotions rush through your body like cascading waves of energy.
Different type of emotion

Now before going further with emotion let us first look at the nervous system
Nervous System
The nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and a large network of nerves that covers all
parts of the body. Together the nervous system helps different parts of our body communicate and allows
our brain to control what is going on.
Your nervous system connects the messages from your brain to your body through nerves so you can do
things like walk, talk, think, feel, and breathe.
Your nervous system is the information highway that controls everything you do.

Now lets us go back to our topic Emotion

.One of the key areas of our brain that deals with showing, recognising and controlling the body's
reactions to emotions is known as the limbic system.
The limbic system is the portion of the brain that deals with three key functions: emotions, memories
and arousal (or stimulation).

The limbic system consists of several major areas: hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus,
and some of the thalamus and cerebral cortex.

Cerebral Cortex
The top layer of the human brain is full of grooves, which significantly enlarge its
surface. The brain consists of two symmetrical cerebral hemispheres (also called
hemisphere cerebri)
The first difference is that they control the opposite sides of the body: the right
hemisphere controls the left side of the body, while the left hemisphere controls the
right side of the body.

The left hemisphere is related to functions of speech, writing, composing sentences,

and problem-solving. Also, this half of the left brain is responsible for analytical thinking,
while the right hemisphere is responsible for synthesis thinking, by looking at the whole.

Thalamus:

On top of the brain stem, under the cortex sits the thalamus, which is responsible for sorting
data and relaying messages back and forth within the brain and spinal cord. The thalamus
receives information form the spinal cord, but does not send information to the spinal cord
directly. The thalamus is generally thought of as the router of the cerebral cortex, relaying
information to the appropriate cortical region. If your thalamus is damaged, you may lose
complete vision, and overall control of your senses.

Hypothalamus:

Above the roof of your mouth, under the thalamus is the hypothalamus, which is responsible
for maintaining hormonal regulation and sleep. The hypothalamus monitors heart rate,
body temperature, blood pressure, and hunger. When this area is infected, one can
 experience an increase in appetite, slow heart rate, and low body temperature. This area is
crucial in administering the normal bodily functions of day to day life.

Hippocampus:

Around the thalamus lies a structure known as the hippocampus, which is responsible for
the formation of long-term memories. This structure files memories and stores select short-
term memories into long-term memories. If this area is damaged, you can lose your ability to
form new memories, but interestingly your old memories will still be intact.

Now the Part of limbic system responsible for our emotional reaction

Amygdala:

In the center of the limbic system, beside the temporal lobe is the amygdala, which is
responsible for emotional responses and memory processing. This almond-shaped structure
of neurons triggers the strong emotions of anger, fear, and love when called upon. This
structure plays a large role in memory consolidation, appropriately storing short-term
emotional memories into long-term ones. Primarily dealing with survival instincts, the
amygdala sends messages to the hypothalamus regarding how the actions it is going to take
will affect the body’s needs.

So now we know that how are emotion are generated

Let us share with you some tips to keep our brain healthy

Be Good to Your Brain

So what can you do for your brain? Plenty.

 Eat healthy foods. They contain vitamins and minerals that are important for the nervous system.
 Get a lot of playtime (exercise).

 Wear a helmet when you ride your bike or play other sports that require head protection.

 Don't drink alcohol, take drugs, or use tobacco.

 Use your brain by doing challenging activities, such as puzzles, reading, playing music, making art, or anything else that gives your brain a workout!