We live in a culture that holds up the rational mind as the ideal although neuropsychological research shows we have two minds: a word-driven conscious/rational mind we know; and an emotional/ non-conscious mind that operates wordlessly.
"we have two minds"
They work together so we can behave normally but it’s the emotional mind that works hardest. It permits fluent speech. We rarely deliberate before we talk. Choices about what to say surge into consciousness from the silence of the emotional mind. The unconscious mind lets us emotionally connect with others. Positive readings put us in a mood of happy anticipation.
Negative ones push us to leave the moment. The emotional mind releases adrenal cortisols into the body, preparing us to flee or fight. None of this is conscious and all of it threatens our health over time.