Do you think human emotions are made up?

Question

Someone explained to me today that they belive the emotions humans feel of love, sadness, etc are all made up. That sadness isn't real. The only reason you cry when someone dies is because you are not used to having them and that is your way of coping.
He also said that love especially is not a real emotion.

Personally, I think this is all BS. How could you just MAKE UP emotions? I tried to get him to elaborate on this and he could not and tried to change the subject. Does anyone else feel this way and you know where he is coming from? Or do you think this is ridiculous?

Answer 1

Was this person watching a Tom Cruise interview recently?

Answer 2

For someone to say that human emotions are made they must have insecurities. They've decided that emotions have hurt them so much that they've just decided to throw them all away. They've decided that emotions are fake.

Answer 3

Perhaps that someone has no empathy. In that case, he couldn't be sad for others, only himself. And he certainly will never love...
Emotions are real. Get him angry and ask him if he "made it up."

Answer 4

I think that is ridiculous.... they can't be made up. They have shown that other primates have emotions... on the animal planet I saw a mother chimp rocking her dead baby...she was grieving....so right there....they can't be made up...If a chimp has real emotions....so must we

Answer 5

Emotions are not 'made up', but they are not tangible either. (Try defining something like "love" and you'll see what I mean.)

It sounds like you're dealing with a pseudo-intellectual who has difficulty expressing sensitivity. Tread carefully, they are probably feeling insecure about something.

Answer 6

That person is an idiot!