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If you've ever experienced a flood of intense emotions—whether it's the happiness of excitement or the frustration of anger—you've likely felt the downturn that follows when those emotions fade. While exhaustion is often thought of as a physical sensation, it can also be mental. If you've ever felt drained after a full day at work, even when you’ve mostly been seated at a desk, that’s an example of mental fatigue.
As Emma Seppälä, a lecturer at the Yale School of Management and author of The Happiness Track, pointed out in a Harvard Business Review article, mental exhaustion can be fueled by high-intensity emotions. Experiencing too many of these emotions, whether positive or negative, can ultimately lead to burnout.
Emotions are categorized based on their intensity
Psychologists often categorize emotions by distinguishing them along two main axes: intensity (high vs. low) and valence (positive vs. negative). High-intensity positive emotions include excitement and elation, whereas low-intensity positive emotions encompass calmness, serenity, and contentment. When considering negative emotions, high-intensity ones are represented by anger, anxiety, and fear, while low-intensity negative emotions include sadness, boredom, and fatigue.
It’s easy to recognize how high-intensity negative emotions like anger can be draining. However, what’s less often acknowledged is that high-intensity positive emotions can also be exhausting, though they deplete us in a way that feels quite different.
High-intensity emotions often result in a subsequent crash
When experiencing intense excitement or a surge of happiness, those feelings are fleeting, and when they fade, you're left with a crash.
As Seppälä writes:
Excitement, even when it's enjoyable, triggers what psychologists refer to as 'physiological arousal'—the activation of our sympathetic (fight-or-flight) system. High-intensity positive emotions generate the same physiological reactions as high-intensity negative emotions like anxiety or anger. Our heart rate speeds up, our sweat glands activate, and we become more easily startled. Because excitement engages the body’s stress response, prolonged periods of it can deplete our system, weakening immunity, memory, and attention. In short, high intensity—whether from negative states like anxiety or positive ones such as excitement—puts a strain on the body.
Some individuals are more predisposed to feeling emotions intensely
Approximately 15-20% of people are believed to be highly sensitive, meaning they experience emotions more intensely than most. These are the people who, when happy, are extremely joyful, and when sad, feel inconsolable. As they navigate the emotional highs and lows of life, the heightened intensity makes them more susceptible to exhaustion than others.
Even for those who aren’t highly sensitive, there are times when it’s easy to default to intense emotions, whether it’s overwhelming excitement or extreme anxiety. For many of us, the past year has been a source of heightened anxiety, even for people who are usually calm during more typical times.
Emotional balance is essential
It's important to recognize that experiencing strong emotions is part of life. Emotional variety adds depth and richness to our experience, and we need that. The challenge lies in maintaining a sense of balance. Some days will be full of excitement, while others will be dominated by stress and anxiety. However, we also have quieter, less intense emotions that can help guide us through many situations without overwhelming us.
The secret to handling emotions effectively, without leading to burnout, is finding balance. To manage the strain of intense emotions, intentionally carve out time for calming activities that cultivate feelings like contentment or peace.
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