Flooding
Peer-Reviewed
Gottman's term for physiological overwhelm during conflict. Heart rate exceeds 100 bpm, stress hormones surge, and the brain's ability to process and…
Gottman's term for physiological overwhelm during conflict. Heart rate exceeds 100 bpm, stress hormones surge, and the brain's ability to process and respond constructively shuts down. When someone is flooded, more talking makes it worse. The antidote is a genuine break of at least 20-30 minutes — not to stew, but to physiologically calm down. Most stonewalling is a response to flooding.
Evidence
Peer-Reviewed
Flooding, the diffuse physiological arousal that leaves a partner overwhelmed and unable to process information during conflict, earns Peer-Reviewed. It is measured directly through Gottman's Love Lab physiological apparatus, one of the most rigorous observational setups in couples research, and is tied to withdrawal and stonewalling. The rating covers this descriptive, physiological evidence. It does not extend to the marketed divorce-prediction precision built on top of the broader Gottman model.
Origin
John Gottman
Sources
- The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work — John Gottman, 1999