Emily McDonald explains how gossip and drama spike amygdala activity, which weakens your prefrontal cortex and kills your ability to focus and think straight. Positive thinking and gratitude do the opposite, strengthening focus and logic.
Did you know that being involved in gossip, drama, and leaving negative comments on social media can all make you dumber? Here's the neuroscience behind why and how you can actually make yourself smarter. Being involved in gossip, drama, or any sort of hater behavior can increase activity in the amygdala. And the amygdala is an area of the brain that's often associated with fear, negative emotional states, and anxiety. The amygdala and the prefrontal cortex have a funny relationship where when the amygdala becomes more highly active, it can override the prefrontal cortex's ability to focus and think logically. It's basically the neuroscience why you would want to be a hater. But the inverse is also true. Thinking positively and expressing gratitude for others actually can strengthen the prefrontal cortex, which can help to improve your focus and logical thinking.
