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Emotions have gotten a bad rap these days. We’re frequently told we should mistrust them, ignore them, even f**k them. It may seem that humanity, especially the male segment of it, has always evinced this level of skepticism towards our feelings, viewing them as unreliable guides — womanly disrupters of our happiness and tranquility.
But the role of emotions in the lives of men and women alike has not always been viewed so dubiously by everyone, in every time; instead, distrust in feelings waxes and wanes according to the level of uncertainty in society. When life is unpredictable, chaotic, and troubling, people retreat inwardly, batten down the hatches, seek to turn themselves into stone. It seems too risky to expose one’s true feelings, to let anything but cold hard logic dictate one’s decisions. Because, the thinking goes, emotions are essentially irrational.
Yet there have been periods and philosophies that have seen emotions and reason not as contradictory but complementary. Thinkers as different in outlook and era as Aristotle, Nietzsche, and C.S. Lewis all argued that feelings have their own intelligence and wisdom, are necessary in order to participate in the human experience at its most dynamic and incandescent, and must be intertwined with our rational faculties in order to achieve the good life.
Today we’ll unpack the premises of this perspective, and how emotions can be rational, in that they have rationality in themselves, can align with rationality, and can be harnessed towards rational purposes.
From other articles that I've read, the ideas of emotions and feelings are distinct. Emotions are physical responses to stimuli, either internal or external, while feelings are the attributes that we assign to those emotions. Here's an excerpt from Six Seconds;
Emotions come first, then feelings come after as the emotion chemicals go to work in our bodies. Then moods develop from a combination of feelings.
Emotions are chemicals released in response to our interpretation of a specific trigger. It takes our brains about 1/4 second to identify the trigger, and about another 1/4 second to produce the chemicals. By the way, emotion chemicals are released throughout our bodies, not just in our brains, and they form a kind of feedback loop between our brains & bodies. They last for about six seconds – hence the name of our organization.
Feelings happen as we begin to integrate the emotion, to think about it, to “let it soak in.” In English, we use “feel” for both physical and emotional sensation — we can say we physically feel cold, but we can also emotionally feel cold. This is a clue to the meaning of “feeling,” it’s something we sense. Feelings are more “cognitively saturated” as the emotion chemicals are processed in our brains & bodies. Feelings are often fueled by a mix of emotions, and last for longer than emotions.
Moods are more generalized. They’re not tied to a specific incident, but a collection of inputs. Mood is heavily influenced by several factors: the environment(weather, lighting, people around us), physiology (what we’ve been eating, how we’ve been exercising, how healthy we are), and finally our mental state (where we’re focusing attention and our current emotions). Moods can last minutes, hours, probably even days.
The AoM article is too long to present the entire thing o I'll list the subsections. You can read the article if you'd like to learn more.
Emotions Are Meaningful Judgements
Emotions Discern Value
Emotions Are Trainable
Emotions Are the Engines of Action
I've read that emotion can be thought of as energy in motion.Emotions Are Strategic
Emotions Create Meaning
If emotions are rational to the extent that they further our ultimate ends, and nearly everyone desires a life of great meaning, then choosing to embrace your emotions — even, ironically, those of an intensity that leans to the “irrational” — can be the most rational decision you could possibly make.
Next week I'll talk about the chemistry of emotions, and the roles that dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine play in emotions and motivation and how they tie back into habits.
Interesting days
Tomorrow - Cuddle Up Day, Bean Day, Apple Tree Day, Shortbread Day and Three Kings Day
Next Wednesday - Kiss a Ginger Day, National Marzipan Day and National Pharmacist Day
February 5 - World Nutella Day, Ice Cream For Breakfast Day, Take Your Child To The Library Day, National Weatherperson’s Day, Western Monarch Day, National Chocolate Fondue Day and National Lace Day
Week long celebrations:
Jan 29 - Feb 5: Cordova Iceworm Festival Week
Feb 1 - Feb 7: Cheerleading Week
Feb 1 - Feb 7: Patient Recognition Week
Feb 1 - Feb 7: School Counseling Week
Feb 1 - Feb 7: Solo Diners Eat Out Week
Feb 1 - Feb 7: African Heritage and Health Week
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