The story of how a man, out of fear of a lion chasing him, jumped over a gorge several meters wide, in general, is not unusual. It only explains the phenomenon of adrenaline, the very hormone of fear and anxiety that helps to overcome your…fear.
The precursor of adrenaline is norepinephrine — hormone of hatred and permissiveness. Animals by smell determine which hormone is secreted by their fellows: if adrenaline, then they pursue the weakling and kill him, and if norepinephrine — obey the leader.
Let's try to figure out what is the difference between these two hormone brothers — norepinephrine and epinephrine.
Adrenaline — fear hormone: a call to escape and… to gambling
Adrenaline — hormone of fear — it is thrown out by the adrenal glands at the moment of alarm and, under a rapid heartbeat, gives the command to flee. True, sometimes a person interprets it as a call to fight, which allows soldiers to go into an unequal battle with a smile on their lips, and athletes to set world records.
It was adrenaline that helped the human race to survive: thanks to which the Neanderthal man was able to kill the mammoth and protect himself from wild predators. For contemporaries, this hormone helps to mobilize their efforts to solve everyday problems.
- Adrenaline tones up all body systems, from the cardiovascular and respiratory to digestive.
When adrenaline is released into the blood, the following happens:
- rapid heartbeat;
- pupil dilation;
- increased blood clotting;
- brain vasodilation;
- constriction of the vessels of the mucous and skeletal muscles, as well as the skin and abdominal cavity;
- involuntary defecation process;
- tremor of hands and lower jaw.
Sharp excitement, which is facilitated by a surge of adrenaline, is replaced by that serene state of euphoria, to which you want to return again. This explains the craving for such thrills as playing roulette or computer shooting ranges, dependence on which is caused by the acuteness of the situation and its subsequent relaxation.
Norepinephrine — hormone of rage and genius: from battle in war to battle on canvas
Historians claimed that Peter 1 was subject to such strong fits of rage that during one of them he almost killed two of his daughters — Anna and Elizabeth. Scientists add: in creating a great empire, the autocrat was helped by rage and courage, which accumulates a small hormone norepinephrine.
Its difference in comparison with adrenaline is small: it can be said that adrenaline is synthesized from the bowels of norepinephrine, allowing you to first feel hatred, and then — fear. That's why these emotions often work together: norepinephrine and adrenaline go together.
The release of the hormone norepinephrine into the blood causes:
- constriction of small blood vessels;
- increased blood pressure;
- rapid heartbeat;
- frequency and depth of breathing, bronchodilatation;
- weakening of intestinal motility.
It would be wrong to say that this hormone is produced only in moments of stress. Norepinephrine — it is also a hormone of happiness and relief. It is synthesized when we look at beautiful landscapes, listen to the sound of the surf or music. Thanks to the influence of norepinephrine, brilliant ideas come to a person. No wonder it is also called the hormone of artists and geniuses.
Norepinephrine also has a cosmetic effect: the cheeks become ruddy, and wrinkles on the face are smoothed out.
Norepinephrine makes it easy to solve everyday problems and remember that any problem has two ways out. But the low content of this hormone can plunge a person into depression.
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