If you expose your brain to stress, the nerve cells in the frontal lobe can start to fall apart. In the beginning, the nerve cells will start to fray at the edges, and after a while, the nerve cells can disappear. Over time, your brain can shrink.

 

Stress will damage your brain cells in this process, but positive emotion binds the brain cells again, just as easily. If you activate your body's reward system, the brain will create new brain cells, and damaged brain cells will work properly.

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​When you experience joy and positive emotions, the main reason you feel this way is that activity in the frontal lobe speeds up. The signals between the brain cells start to move very quickly. Positive emotions and joy send activity to the frontal lobe, while stress and negative emotions send activity to the amygdala.