:( Emotional Rescue :)

According to the neuroscientist Dr. Antonio Domasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at USC, the only way to stop a "negative" emotion from dominating our consciousness is to experience another, stronger (and I would add, opposing) emotion. Think of a time you were stressed out and someone told you to calm down. It doesn't work. Rational words fall flat in the emotional realms. Laughter, fear, exasperation, fury, elation, etc. can keep sorrow, boredom, self-loathing, lingering peacefulness, loneliness, etc. at bay, at least in the short term. This is the stuff of opera. Remember: There's no slaughter without laughter!

(Fernandel photo by Philippe Halsman)