Emotions Affect the Body

Emotional life. Have you ever broken out in a cold sweat, blushed deeply, or felt "butterflies" in your stomach? If you have, you have noticed a typical reaction to strong emotion–the physical effects of emotions. In your teen-age years you are likely to react more emotionally to events than your younger brothers and sisters or your parents. Part of this increased feeling is due to the adjustments you are making to the changes in your body and to the changes in your responsibilities.

Whenever you feel a strong emotion, such as fear, embarrassment, anger, or joy, the organs in your body react. A cold sweat, a blush, and a "nervous stomach" are evidence that the sweat glands, blood vessels, and stomach are reacting to the emotions. These three reactions to emotion are evidence that there is a link between the brain and each of the organs involved. The link between the emotions and the organs of the body is the autonomic nervous system. The nervous system connects the brain with the skin, stomach, intestines, heart, and blood vessels, as well as with the glands of the body.

 

Whenever you feel a strong emotion, the message is transmitted to certain parts of the body and physical reactions occur.

 

Physical reactions to stress. Everyone has physical reactions when he feels a strong emotion. The physical reactions are the body’s way of preparing to meet an emergency. However, if the strong emotion lasts longer than a few hours, the physical reactions become harmful to the body. In cases in which people are under great emotional tension for long periods of time, their stomachs may develop ulcers, or sores, due to the prolonged increase in stomach acidity. Ulcers are common body reactions to chronic, or greatly prolonged emotional tension. Other common reactions to chronic emotional stress are high blood pressure, skin allergies, asthma, and excess weight.

 

It is fortunate that the periods of emotional stress and strain during the teen years are relatively short. Teenagers who develop healthy ways to cope with their emotions do not develop these physical reactions to chronic emotional strain. Probably they handle their emotions so successfully that they are seldom subjected to emotional stresses for long periods of time.