Written by Melissa Bykofsky.
There’s nothing quite like the holiday season when it comes to feeling all the feels.
This time of year triggers different emotions for everyone. “We are used to running on adrenaline, going from one stressful deadline to another and trying to juggle work and our personal lives,” Emma Seppälä, PhD, science director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, tells Yahoo Health. That’s why when we’re finally able to settle down and enjoy time with friends and family, it can lead to a surge of sentiments.
If we’re getting scientific, the twinkling lights, Santas, menorahs, wreaths, and other holiday insignia trigger neurological processes that are created by the cerebral cortex of the brain (interacting with the amygdala and insula) that processes physiological information. It leads to a culmination of emotions — if you celebrate Christmas, for example, that’ll likely be Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
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