What exactly do we experience? Do we feel things that cause us to think about them? Or do we think about things that cause us to feel certain emotions?
2006-09-06 15:50:49 · 16 answers · asked by BAnne 7 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
I had a long-running argument with a friend about this subject. She, being in the mental health/illness field, argued that people first have thoughts, either positive or negative, that lead to emotions, either positive or negative. I have always believed that it is the other way around. It is entirely possible that newborn babies do not have thoughts as we know them, but they darn well have emotions! Therefor, I surmise that emotions give rise to thoughts first. Thoughts and emotions can feed off of each other, in a vicious cycle, which I believe drives many forms of violence and dysfunctionality. This is only my belief. I have no proof whatsoever...
2006-09-06 16:02:11 · answer #1 · answered by correrafan 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I really believe it is both. I know there have been studies on the subject, but I am not familiar with them. If I think about it, using myself as a model--duh who else?-- I can think of examples where the emotion was the cause and the effect of certain thoughts.
Relationships are a great example. I know I have had an almost primal attraction to someone, to later think about it, and try and rationalize, and associate feelings of love to the lust. On the other hand, you can definately condition yourself to feel a certain way when you think about something. For example, when you are in a good mood, and try something new, you may like that something more than if you had tried it after say, a horrible day at work. You definately guage things, and remember them by the way you were feeling when you were exposed to them.
2006-09-06 23:01:14 · answer #2 · answered by micke 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People too often see emotions and thought as being opposed, but I see them as an equal partnership, and neither is of much use without the other.
But as for which comes first, I think its emotion. From a standpoint of evolution, emotions predate rational thought. And in the human brain, the neural pathways to the limbic system where emotions are generated is shorter than to the cerebrum where rational thought is created. I think that our emotions determine the subject of our thoughts or what is worth thinking about. When we think about something, it is of some importance to us and our attachment to it is based on emotionally driven desires and interests. Our emotions determine what we want and our intellect figures out the details of how to get it.
2006-09-07 00:09:23 · answer #3 · answered by Subconsciousless 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both, depending on the emotion. Certain emotions are inate, and guided by instinct. For example the two foundational emotions, distress and content. They do not require any thought, they are instinctual. However, as emotions become more complex, they require a certain amount of cognitive influence.
Happiness and anger are somewhere in the middle, requiring a certain amount of mental association. The most complex emotions however, require significant cognitive functioning in order for them to exist. For example, embarassment: this emotion would not exist at all were it not for the mental implications of your actions. Another one is jealousy. This is why animals are not able to experience some of the more complex emotions that humans are capable of: they simply don't have the cognitive abilities to comprehend their actions and the implications, resulting in a feeling associated with what it all means to them and their life.
This has actually been shown in numerous studies, and can also be clearly seen when one looks at the emotional development of infants. When they are newborn, they are capable *only* of feeling content and distress. As they mature and their cognitive abilities begin to develop, they begin to feel joy, anger, surprise, and disgust. It takes many years, and usually isn't until the age of two, that children are fully able to understand other people's perspectives in regards to their actions, resulting in the ability to feel embarassment, shame, and pride, which are the last of the human emotions to develop.
2006-09-06 23:05:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Emotion=Heart
Thought=Brain
:)
2006-09-06 23:11:32 · answer #5 · answered by J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thought and emotion are not really separate things - we classify them differently based on what areas of the brain are 'predominantly' involved with each - but really they both involve processes in the brain and the frontal cortex areas associated with higher cognitive functions, except in certain cases of seriously abnormal psychology - like limbic rage disorders. Most emotions involve quite a lot of intellectual process and thought and people can become very agitated and emotional over intellectual concepts as well.
2006-09-06 23:06:56 · answer #6 · answered by Michael Darnell 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Emotions create thought. Thoughts create emotion. After I thought about it, I had the emotion to respond to your questions. Later, my emotions created the thought that this is really emotionally thoughtless or something!! Emotionally, yours, I think.
2006-09-06 23:21:30 · answer #7 · answered by Dan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that perceptions/thoughts/insights can and do evoke emotional responses and at times emotions can and do evoke insights/thoughts /perceptions the path is open going both ways
2006-09-07 01:07:29 · answer #8 · answered by mochi.girl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
all of the above. thought and emotion create each other. thoughts bring on feelings which bring thoughts which bring feelings. it originates with thought. that thought comes from stimuli in nerves and sensory organs
2006-09-06 23:07:24 · answer #9 · answered by Stand-up Philosopher 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the emotions come first... we are hard-wired for emotions. then the thoughts follow and we act.
take the fight or flight response for example. we feel and then we act. it all happens very quickly.
2006-09-06 22:57:41 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋