The 90-Second Emotion Rule

Most strong emotions only last about 90 seconds in the body.

After that, what you feel is no longer biology. It’s the story your brain keeps repeating about what happened.

Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor discovered that:

An emotional chemical surge rises and falls within 1.5 minutes. If you stay upset longer, you are re-firing the thought loop yourself

That means:

You can’t always control the first 90 seconds. You can control what happens after.

Next time you feel yourself about to become overwhelmed, try this:

• Notice the emotion.

• Name it.

• Breathe for 90 seconds.

• Don’t feed the narrative.

Your brain will settle if you don’t keep lighting the match.