Modern-Day Fight or Flight

Back in prehistoric times, the hunters among the earliest human species frequently experienced their inborn "fight or flight" response. When they were armed with their primitive weapons and faced the likes of a mastodon or wooly mammoth, the amygdala section of their brains triggered a reaction that pumped adrenaline and stress hormones into their bloodstream. This energized them to either run away or stand their ground. If they fled they were more likely to live longer. However, if they stood and fought they could possibly return home with prized meat and animal pelts.

Modern humans no longer need to rely on their fight or flight response to obtain fresh food -- with the exception, perhaps, of navigating the parking lot of the supermarket around the holidays. Nevertheless, we are each still equipped with an amygdala in our brains which continues to perform the same function that it did tens of thousands of years ago -- only now, the mastodons and wooly mammoths in our lives are modern day people, issues and situations. The amygdala goes to work when we feel certain emotions, one of which is anger.