I played golf on Wednesday with two retired Doctors. They were both good players and best of all we quickly built a great rapport. By the second hole we were discussing our love of golf and things we had seen during the U S Open. Top of the list was the situation where the popular Phil Mickelson ran after a poor putt and hit the ball while it was still moving. There is a rule for this breach of protocol and etiquette and it was imposed. The two stroke penalty resulted in a 6 over par 10 on the hole. Phil’s playing partner Andrew Johnson said “it was a moment of madness.” Phil claimed he fully understood the rule and took advantage of it. Most of the golf world was discouraged and surprised by Phil’s cavalier response. Everyone had a reason – Phil did not want to watch his ball roll off the green, down a steep slope and into the rough. I was most interested in the analysis of one of my playing partners “Phil suffered amygdala hijack”. I had to look it up but it is a term coined in 1996 by Daniel Goldman in his book about emotional intelligence.
The hijack is an immediate and overwhelming response out of proportion to the stimulus because it has triggered a more significant emotional threat. The amygdala is the part of your brain that handles emotions, “during an Amygdala Hijack, the amygdala shuts down the new-cortex.” The cortex is responsible for logical thinking and conscience thought. In the long ago past it produced the fight or flight response. You see a saber toothed tiger and decide if it is eating you or you are eating it. I am told there are no descendants of those who did not learn to run from imminent danger. This sounded like what Phil experienced. This brain bandit, as it is called, filled his system with adrenaline and cortisol which produces a “hangover” for up to four hours. The hijackee remains confused, overwhelmed and perhaps still angry. This explains why Phil was not his usual gracious self in the post round interviews and likely why a few days later he formally apologized. Science tells us we can train ourselves to overcome this emotional response with practice and concentration. In the meantime, I accept Phil’s apology after his neo cortex returned to full control.
There are examples of positive hijacks – when a joke strikes someone as so uproarious that their laughter is almost explosive. It is a limbic response and is also seen at moments of intense joy. Phil shot his hands into the air in exhilaration when he made a short putt for par on the hole that had his number the previous day.
Thomas Jefferson reminded us “when angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry count to one hundred.” I understand deep breathing is also a good way to control the effects of the amygdala.
Enjoy the week end. Mike