Itâs easy to see how high-intensity negative emotions might wear us out during the course of the day â and not just frustration and anger. Many of us have come to rely on our stress response to get things done. We fuel ourselves up with adrenaline and caffeine, over-scheduling ourselves and waiting until the very last minute to complete projects, waiting for that âfight or flightâ mode to kick in and believing we need a certain amount of stress to be productive.
But high-intensity positive emotions can also be taxing. Research shows we â especially Westerners, and Americans in particular â thrive on high-intensity positive emotions. Studies show when you ask Americans how they would ideally like to feel, they are more likely to cite high-intensity positive emotions like elated and euphoric than low-intensity positive emotions like relaxed or content. In other words, Americans equate happiness with high intensity. East Asian cultures, on the other hand, value low-intensity positive emotions like serenity and peacefulness.
A study to figure out why Americans value high-intensity positive emotions, it is found Americans believe they need high-intensity emotions to succeed â especially to lead or influence. In one study for example, people wanted to feel high-intensity positive emotions like excitement when they were in a role which involved leading or trying to influence another person. This intensity primarily reflects in âthe languageâ used to discuss achievement goals: we get fired up, pumped, or amped up so we can bowl people over, crush projects, or crank out presentations â these expressions all imply we need to be in some kind of intense attack mode. Go get it, knock it out of the park, and muscle through.
The problem, however, is high-intensity emotions are physiologically taxing. Excitement, even when it is fun, involves what psychologists call âphysiological arousalâ â activation of our sympathetic (fight-or-flight) system. High-intensity positive emotions involve the same physiological arousal as high-intensity negative emotions like anxiety or anger. Our heart rate increases, our sweat glands activate, and we startle easily. Because it activates the bodyâs stress response, excitement can deplete our system when sustained over longer periods â chronic stress compromises our immunity, memory, and attention span. In other words, high intensity â whether itâs from negative states like anxiety or positive states like excitement â taxes the body.
High-intensity emotions are also mentally taxing. Itâs hard to focus when weâre physiologically aroused and overstimulated. We know from brain-imaging research that when weâre feeling intense emotions, the amygdala is activated â itâs the same region lighting up when weâre feeling a fight-or-flight response. We need to use effort and emotion-regulation strategies from a different part of our brain, located in the prefrontal cortex, to calm ourselves enough to get our work done. This emotion regulation itself requires additional effort.
The result? You tire easily. Whether youâre getting amped up with anxiety or with excitement, you are draining yourself of your most important resource: energy.
Excitement, of course, can be a positive emotion and it certainly feels a lot better than stress. But just as a sugar high may feel great for a while, it sends your body into a physiological high which can end with a crash. You are bound to feel tired sooner than if you had remained in a calm state.
This isnât to say you should never feel stressed or excited â nor should you lose your enthusiasm for your work. However, Iâm suggesting you make more time for calm activities in your life and learn to tap into the other side of your nervous system â the parasympathetic ârest and digestâ side, which helps restore your health and your well-being, making you more resilient over the long run. Doing so will help you save your energy for when you need it most.