In short, the prefrontal cortex part of your brain controls your reasoning and logic. Your amygdala, often called the Lizard Brain controls your fight or flight response. When you feel nervous, anxious, and start thinking of all the “reasons” not to do something — that’s not the prefrontal cortex speaking up, that’s the Lizard Brain.
Interestingly, research has shown you can outlogic your Lizard Brain by using your prefrontal cortex. Richard Davidson touches on it in his book The Emotional Life of Your Brain.
It’s difficult, but yes, you can reason with your Lizard Brain. You can exercise the pathways between the two so you can eventually decide for yourself if you want to listen to your Lizard Brain or not. (Unless you’re facing serious danger, I’d choose not.)
Monks, daredevils, public speakers — they’ve all exercised those pathways and that’s why they can do it, but you can’t…yet.
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