Etiqueta: psychology
Limerence: The Delightfully Irrational State Where Your Brain Turns Into an Overcooked Noodle
This post explores limerence, the obsessive form of romantic infatuation defined by psychologist Dorothy Tennov. It outlines its main characteristics, how it differs from stable love, its psychological effects and how it can influence behaviour and relationships. A personal anecdote illustrates how limerence can distort priorities and emotional wellbeing, and how recognising it helps create… →
Stress doesn’t just show up in your body: it rewires your brain
When you start feeling overwhelmed, your hippocampus is probably already taking the hit. The hippocampus, by the way, is the region in charge of transferring bits of information from short-term memory storage to long-term memory. It’s one of the parts of your brain that makes learning possible. And here’s the kicker: when you’re stressed, it disconnects from your frontal lobe, the rational centre that helps you make calm, reasonable decisions. The frontal lobe is the computer you use when you decide to say “screw it” and order another beer. Or when you decide to drive after those seven beers. That’s how important it is.
The human hippocampus and fornix (left) compared with a seahorse (right). Author: Professor Laszlo Seress. CC BY-SA 3.0. Link. What happens in the brain under stress
When you face a stressful situation, your body activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which releases cortisol and adrenaline, and suddenly everything turns into a party and your body goes full Chernobyl mode. These hormones prep your body for fast reactions, but they also mess with your brain chemistry and structure.
Adrenaline “increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages, and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the nervous system.” The main functions of cortisol are to “increase blood sugar levels through gluconeogenesis, suppress the immune system, and help metabolise fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.” That’s what Wikipedia says, not me.
Too much cortisol reduces the efficiency of synaptic connections in the hippocampus, making it harder to store and retrieve memories. Meanwhile, the amygdala (the drama queen responsible for intense emotions) takes over and shuts out the rational parts of the brain. Basically, you turn into a gazelle spotting a lion: completely terrified and not exactly stopping to analyse the topography before deciding which way to run. You just bolt, because otherwise you might not live to regret it. That’s what happens under high stress: you panic and make terrible decisions. Remember: the seventh beer.
Why the hippocampus disconnects from the frontal lobe
Normally, the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex work as a team: one provides context, the other plans ahead. But when stress levels rise, that connection goes out the window. The brain switches to survival mode, and deep thinking is no longer a priority. That’s why, under pressure, you forget simple things or can’t focus. It’s not lack of discipline or you being dramatic: it’s straight-up neurobiology.
When the connection between these two areas weakens, you’ll struggle to concentrate (hello again, gazelle), to learn, and to control your emotions and impulses. And if you stay stressed for too long, the brain (being “plastic,” meaning it changes and adapts to what’s happening) starts shrinking your hippocampus. Over time, you’ll remember less, pay less attention, and basically be less alive to what’s going on around you.
In red, the frontal lobe. Author: Anatomography. CC BY-SA 2.1 jp. Link. What to do about stress
Honestly? I have no idea. If I did, I’d bottle it and get rich.
What I do know is that it takes consistency. Sleeping enough lets neurons repair their connections. Regular movement improves blood flow and stimulates the creation of new neurons. You don’t need to become a runner; walking places is enough. Short breaks during the day lower cortisol, especially if you drop your phone and, I don’t know, turn on the TV. Or call someone and say you’re totally freaking out and need to talk about anything: gossip works great in these situations because you shift your focus somewhere else. You can also see a doctor. Or someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Not everything can be fixed with exercise; sometimes you have to ask for help.
Trying to calm yourself down, chanting Instagram mantras (or whatever nonsense blogs push), or forcing yourself to relax alone isn’t always enough. A brain under stress might be too blocked to self-regulate. Asking for help isn’t weakness, it’s doing what needs to be done. Talking to someone you trust can give you the perspective, strategies, and support that no breathing technique or viral advice can replace. And if your doctor says you need a benzodiazepine, maybe just listen.
And yes, when you’re stressed, the last thing you feel like doing is staring out the window with a cup of tea or booking a therapy session, especially if you can’t afford it. You’re absolutely right. It’s easy to say, impossible to do when you’re drowning or broke. And yeah, I sell advice I can’t always follow myself.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that stress isn’t just an annoying feeling: it changes brain chemistry and messes with the connections between its parts. The hippocampus and frontal lobe stop talking, and that’s a disaster. But neuroscience actually has good news. Talking about “neuroscience” already makes me sound like a first-class idiot, but whatever. The point is: sleep well, walk a bit, have drinks with your friends, watch reality shows, it all helps. Honestly. Sometimes not enough, but it usually helps.
And one last thing, from experience. The world won’t stop. Life keeps going. The more stress you carry, the less you actually live. Stress can kill you while you’re still alive. Take care of yourself, please. And if you need help, ask for it.
I try too, but I’m not great at it.
The original version of this text is here (in Spanish).
No, Technology Isn’t Making Us Stupider: What Psychology Says
Every technological revolution arrives with its prophecy of intellectual decay. They said it about books, then about television, and now about artificial intelligence. The article in El Diario about the supposed golden age of stupidity repeats that old fear in new language. But if we look at the evidence through psychology, the picture is very different.
Technology does change the way we think, yes. It affects attention, reorganizes memory, and encourages a growing dependence on external devices. However, that doesn’t mean we’re becoming less intelligent. The human brain doesn’t shut down when we use digital tools: it reorganizes itself. What science calls cognitive offloading (delegating certain mental tasks to external supports) doesn’t imply loss, but adaptation. Just as we once began writing to free up oral memory, now we externalize data so we can focus on more complex processes. That’s basically why we don’t remember phone numbers anymore.
The real problem appears when we confuse convenience with thought. If we let algorithms decide for us, intelligence doesn’t weaken: it falls asleep. But the culprit isn’t the machine; it’s the user who gives up the mental friction required to understand the world. Social psychology explains this catastrophism as negativity bias: we often overvalue what we lose and ignore what we gain. From the printing press to AI, the fear of cognitive decline is more emotional than scientific.
Today we know that the brain adapts to the digital environment just as it once adapted to written language. We’re not witnessing an intellectual collapse, but a reconfiguration. The challenge isn’t to resist technology, but to learn to use it with critical attention. Thinking remains a voluntary act, even if the world keeps trying to distract us.
We’re not living through a golden age of stupidity. We’re living through an age of cognitive mutation. Intelligence isn’t dying: it’s changing shape. The real danger doesn’t lie in machines that think too much, but in humans who’ve stopped doing so.
