Your brain has a chemical kill switch — and stress knows exactly how to pull it. 

In Episode 50 of Daybreak, we unpack neuroscientist Amy Arnsten’s research on how acute stress floods the prefrontal cortex with catecholamines, forcing open HCN channels and taking your working memory offline. 

We explore why Spinoza argued in 1677 that reason alone can never override an emotion — and how modern neuroscience proved him right. Then we introduce implementation intentions: pre-built if-then decisions that bypass the need for a brain that might not be available. 

If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t think straight under pressure, this is the episode that explains the mechanism — and gives you the tool to work around it.

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