Have you ever had a strong physical reaction during a difficult conversation? Maybe you broke out in a sweat while confronting a rude coworker, or your face turned red during a poor performance review. Maybe you become more emotional than you intended during an argument, or you lose your cool altogether.

These involuntary fight-or-flight reactions occur even in the most balanced of us, thanks to a small, almond-shaped bundle of the brain called the amygdala. It's colloquially known as the reptilian brain—the primitive part of our psyche that lives in permanent survival mode, acting solely on instinct. For our prehistoric ancestors, the amygdala was helpful in confrontations with sabre-toothed cats—but it's certainly uncomfortable for the low-risk challenges we typically face in the workpl

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