Why is it that some people seem to marinate in misery? You know the people I’m talking about. They see the glass perpetually half empty. A cloud seems to follow them wherever they go. It seems they can recall every wrong that has ever been dealt them.
You see these people coming down the isle in the grocery store suddenly the fine print on the toilet paper packaging becomes all engrossing.
I stumbled upon some interesting research conducted by Dr. Jim McGaugh, Research Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior School of Biological Sciences, University Irvine. Dr. Mc Gaugh’s research suggests that adrenaline hormones create stronger memories in the brain than pleasure hormones do.
From a design standpoint, if you want to live a long life, this makes good sense. Adrenaline, along with its stress-released companions, gets your body ready to flee or fight in the face of danger. So being ready to remember and quickly react to life-threatening situations like hungry lions and tigers and bears, kept our ancestors alive (Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this!). (more…)
