Doug NollI'm called in when human dynamics are getting in the way of strategic leadership execution.

Suppressing Your Emotions Doesn’t Work, It Makes Them Worse (Here’s Why)

16 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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Suppressing emotions keeps your amygdala activated and makes feelings resurface stronger later. Research shows suppression raises stress, impairs memory, and damages relationships. Real regulation requires different strategies.

Suppression is the most common technique and the most damaging technique for trying to regulate your emotions. However, when you suppress an emotion, the amygdala does not calm down. It stays activated. The emotion goes underground and surfaces later, louder, more intense, more reactive, and more damaging. The research is clear: suppression increases physiological stress, impairs memory, and damages relationships over time. Regulation is not suppression.

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