Imagine having the power to transform your worst moments into manageable experiences in less time than it takes to brew a cup of coffee. That's exactly what Mo Gawdat, a former Google executive turned happiness researcher, is teaching people around the world.

Gawdat isn't your typical wellness expert. After spending decades working on world-changing projects at Google X, the company's innovation lab tackling global challenges, he turned his analytical mind toward understanding human happiness. His journey took on profound meaning following a personal tragedy in 2014, when he lost his son Ali. Rather than letting grief define him, Gawdat chose to honor his son's memory by dedicating himself to spreading happiness, something Ali had always encouraged him to pursue.

The result was his groundbreaking book "Solve for Happy," where Gawdat uncovered a revolutionary insight: our emotions have a natural expiration date, and we have far more control over them than we realize.

The science behind this discovery is both fascinating and empowering. Gawdat built upon the research of Harvard-trained neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, who made remarkable discoveries about emotional processing during her own recovery from a massive stroke. Dr. Taylor found that when something triggers us, whether it's a frustrating commute or a difficult conversation, our brain releases stress hormones that flood our system. The exciting news? This chemical cascade naturally runs its course in just 90 seconds.

Those 90 seconds represent the actual physiological duration of an emotional response. After that minute and a half, the stress hormones have been flushed from your bloodstream, and the physical component of your reaction is complete. This means that every emotion, no matter how intense, has a built-in reset button.

So why do we often feel stuck in negative emotions for hours or even days? Gawdat explains that after those initial 90 seconds, we unconsciously choose to keep the emotion alive by replaying the triggering event in our minds. Every time we revisit what happened, craft the perfect comeback we didn't say, or analyze what went wrong, we're essentially hitting the refresh button on our stress response.

The empowering truth is that we can break this cycle. Gawdat has developed practical tools to help people move through emotions more effectively, including a three-question framework that acts as a reality check for our racing thoughts. The first question, "Is it true?" helps us recognize that much of what troubles us exists only in our imagination, not in reality.

This approach isn't about suppressing emotions or pretending everything is fine. Instead, it's about understanding how our emotions work and giving ourselves permission to feel them fully for those 90 seconds, then consciously choosing whether to re-engage with them.

Thousands of people are already using these techniques to transform their relationship with difficult emotions. By combining cutting-edge neuroscience with practical wisdom gained through personal experience, Gawdat has created an accessible roadmap for anyone seeking greater emotional freedom and happiness. The best part? It all starts with just 90 seconds of awareness.