Jim Kwik connects working memory to emotional regulation through attention control. He cites Jill Bolte Taylor's 90-second rule: emotional chemicals peak and fade in ninety seconds, but we extend the feeling by replaying the story in our heads.
How important is emotional regulation to learning? People who have high working memory, which is your ability to maintain multiple things in memory at once, also have high abilities with emotional regulation. They don't know exactly what's going on there. Right now, the current hypothesis is maybe it's about focus. Are you able to direct your attention where you want it to go? Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist. She makes the observation that when something is emotionally agitating, she calls it the 90-second rule. You have about 90 seconds where There's a flood of chemicals and you're angry or you're afraid. And after about 90 seconds, those chemicals are cleared for the most part from your system. And at that point, if you're still angry or afraid, it's because of the story you're telling yourself. And that's where emotional regulation comes in.
The Library of Minds: Brain Coach: How to Stay Sharp When AI Does the Thinking | Jim Kwik
