When you’re sad, so angry you could cry, or trying not to weep at that ASPCA commercial again, you’ve probably felt a big lump in your throat during emotional moments. Why?

According to clinical psychologist Ad Vingerhoets, it’s all part of our natural fight-or-flight response. When humans feel stressed, our bodies prepare us to physically take on the obstacle or flee the scene. Our heart rate increases, our blood pressure skyrockets, and our respiration rate increases. “The faster rate of respiration impacts the muscle that controls the opening of the throat called the glottis (middle of the larynx),” Vingerhoets told IFLScience. “The glottis expands to allow more air in during the preparation for fight or flight.”

The glottis is where that lump comes in. Though the jury is still out on the exact reason the lump forms, it has something to do with muscle tension and the glottis. The first theory is that when you try to swallow (a process that requires closing the glottis) against that expanded glottis, you’re creating muscle tension, and thus discomfort. Theory number two is that the lump mainly occurs when you’re trying not to cry, which means you’re trying to constrict the muscles in your throat while your glottis is trying to expand.

The next time you find your throat burning during an emotional moment, the best thing you can do is to take a couple of deep breaths and try to relax. (Easier said than done, we know.)

Have you got a Big Question you’d like us to answer? If so, let us know by emailing us at bigquestions@mentalfloss.com.

A remarkably well-preserved shipwreck from 132 years ago has been located near the northern shores of Lake Superior, Minnesota’s Pioneer Press and Forum News Service report. In 1884, the 130-foot-long J.S. Seaverns sank near the Ontario harbor of Michipicoten, a dangerous area on the northeast side of the lake that had never been surveyed.

While leaving a stop at the port one May night, the 4-year-old ship struck a rock, and sunk while trying to get to shore. Luckily, the whole group of crew and passengers, 60 in all, survived. In addition to passengers, the Seaverns hauled freight shipments between lumber camps and railroad construction sites, and lost more than $30,000 worth of cargo when it went down.

The long-forgotten ship was located by a group of shipwreck enthusiasts using sonar in July. Their dives and camera footage show that much of the ship is still intact, including the wheel, some of the lower cabins, dishes still stacked in cupboards, and more. Most of the hull seems to be intact, too, and the divers couldn’t find the hole that sank her. Some of the freight the ship was carrying, like equipment for a planing mill, is still in good shape, too.

However, the wreck-probing group won’t be back to the scene anytime soon, because of the difficulty of getting to the remote and still-precarious location. For now, they’re still examining the data they brought back from their first quest.

[h/t Pioneer Press]