How Negative Emotions Work

Each Tuesday, I'm reflecting on how aspects of our lives and society relate to happiness and how we can increase our happiness. This week, I'm looking at the science of negative emotions, how they work. Even better, I look how to be happy with negative emotions.

I recently went into a research frenzy after always simplifying how the brain, hormones, and nervous system interact. I wanted to understand how anger or fear translate into hormones — and what’s behind sadness.

Here’s what I’ve learned. It’s still simplified, since I’m not a neuroscientist or endocrinologist, but I hope it helps make sense of what we feel.

Anger & Fear

Anger and fear both stem from the same instinct: our fight-flight-or-freeze response. The amygdala, part of the limbic system (our mammal or “emotional” brain), detects threat or danger. It’s very generous with its danger labels — this is our negativity bias. It’s better to jump away from something long and be relieved it’s only a stick than be bitten by a snake.

Once the amygdala senses danger, it signals the hypothalamus, which activates the sympathetic nervous system. Stress hormones rise, blood is pumped from brain to arms and legs, and we go into tunnel vision to meet the threat.

So far, so good. But why anger sometimes, and fear other times?

Different Responses

Research shows key differences between the two. Anger is linked to high cortisol but comparatively low inflammatory markers. These markers are higher in people who experience fear without anger.

Anger often appears when boundaries are crossed, risk feels low, and we feel relatively strong. People who get angry usually feel in the right — and strong enough to follow that energy-intensive emotion.

By contrast, those who flee or freeze experience higher inflammation and lower cortisol. Fear motivates avoidance and withdrawal. It’s a response to high risk and a sense of weakness in that context.

So:

• Anger = strength, lower risk, action.
• Fear = weakness, higher risk, protection.

Both are healthy survival mechanisms. But if you find yourself angry or afraid all the time, your system becomes overwhelmed. It can’t rest, repair, or digest.

And yes — you may also be copying responses you learned in childhood. Why else do we suddenly sound like our mum or dad when we’re under threat? Becoming aware of that pattern already helps you choose your reaction.

Sadness

Sadness comes from loss or disappointment. Unlike fear, which looks ahead, sadness looks back. It’s also linked to activity in the amygdala. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex — our thinking brain — goes quiet, because blood is redirected away during stress. The body is under strain again. Loss makes us feel weak, triggering a subtle fear response.

Sadness is usually associated with a drop in serotonin, our mood stabiliser. Interestingly, serotonin is also a status hormone — it rises when we feel confident or valued and drops when we feel we’ve lost standing. That’s why loss can feel like a drop in social rank. It makes us vulnerable, open to fear, and prone to both depression and anxiety.

The good news: status is perception. You can raise serotonin by shifting what you compare yourself to — stop measuring against over-achievers. Focus on what you do well, on what matters to you.

Negative Emotions and Happiness

​One study links sadness to uncertainty acceptance and fear to uncertainty avoidance. So sadness can help us face and integrate difficult situations — while fear makes us avoid them.

Have a happy week!

Anja