Final answer:
A prefrontal lobotomy is an obsolete surgical procedure used to sever connections in the prefrontal cortex to control emotions and behavioral issues in patients with severe psychiatric conditions, but it often had serious side effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Removing a part of your brain to control your emotions refers to a procedure known as prefrontal lobotomy. This surgical operation was once performed to treat various mental illnesses and involved severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for complex behaviors including planning, reasoning, and self-control. Prefrontal lobotomies were used historically when patients presented with uncontrollable behaviors or severe psychiatric conditions that were thought to be untreatable by other means. The rationale was that by disrupting the problematic neural pathways, the patient's emotional and behavioral issues could be mitigated.
However, given the complex nature of the cerebrum, which controls not just emotions but also reasoning, language, and sensory processing, the procedure often resulted in significant and undesirable side effects. Neurotransmitter imbalances can also affect the brain's control mechanisms, further highlighting the intricacies of brain functions related to emotions and behaviors. Prefrontal lobotomy is no longer in practice due to ethical concerns and the development of more effective and less invasive treatments.