“We tend to think of feelings as things that just happen in our ‘hearts’–as things that are somehow not connected to the physical world. The truth is, very obvious chemical and physical changes happen in our bodies and our brains when our emotions change. When we’re angry, our heart rate increases and our brains and bodies are flooded with hormones like adrenaline, to give us the extra boost to be able to fight. When we’re afraid, blood flows to our biggest muscles such as our legs so we can be ready to flee, and other hormones put our body on alert, ready for action. Love creates the opposite responses to fear and anger, and makes us feel calm, content, safe, and relaxed. When we’re sad, our body’s metabolism slows, conserving our energy so that we can heal, both physically and psychologically. And finally, happiness increases the activity in our brain, blocking negative feelings and allowing us better access to our available energy. In this regard, we feel and react to emotions in exactly the same way that our dogs do. With all these complex biological changes going on inside of us every time we have a feeling, is it any wonder that other animals can tell what we’re feeling at any given moment?”

 —Be the Pack Leader by Cesar Millan   

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