The 90-Second Rule of Emotions

3-Minute Reframe with Cameron Conaway · Apr 23, 2026 · 3m

Have you ever felt an emotion that seemed to last all day — long after the moment that triggered it had passed?

In this episode, Cameron shares the story of one of the worst presentations of his life — a packed room, a disaster on stage, and an embarrassment that followed him into the shower and stayed for days. It took years to understand why.

Harvard-trained neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor documented something remarkable while studying her own stroke in real time: the physiological lifespan of an emotion is approximately 90 seconds. The chemicals flood your body, peak, and flush out. After…