When talking about relationships we love to say things like "I was thinking with my heart and not my head". What we really mean is, we let our emotions rule us. And if we really want to get into it and strip it down, we mean that our emotions led us to choose a behavior that hurt us. And when we get hurt in relationships...sometimes it really hurts. That's because our brain perceives emotional pain (specifically rejection) the same as it does physical pain. This article explains this reality in great depth. And this is the actual study.
It's no wonder some of us protect ourselves by putting up walls and avoiding commitment after we have been hurt emotionally. In the same way we make sure we don't touch a hot stove, because our brain tells us it will burn us badly. Our brain processes these two experiences very similarly.
What are some of the ways you protect yourself?
I don't give up too much information on myself, that way people can't judge me.
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