CAUSE OR EFFECT: Biochemical reactions in the brain associated with emotion?

Question

Do the biochemical reactions cause us to feel an emotion, or do we feel an emotion which (physically) manifests itself in biochemical reactions?

Answer 1

come to think of it, it is both, when we are presented with a stressful situation , our brain will react and act as a conditioned response. that explains why some stuff that bothers other people doesnt bother u or vice versa.. so the biochemical reaction actually results from past learned response, which will make us feel an emotion.. resulting to other biochemical reactions..

Answer 2

We have a sensation which we interpret mentally. Often the body reacts biochemically to alert us to some event first. Our mind interprets the event, we react in some way, either mentally or physically, which can increase another bodily reaction. Our bodies may set up a loop depending on how long we have this "emotional reaction" or "physical reaction" until we have somehow determined that our response was "adequate" or we lose, if you know what I mean.

Remember, even mental activity is believed to be a biochemical reaction.

Answer 3

You are the basic cause of your emotions. Its all caused by you, not some chemicals, and as proof you can easily change the emotions you feel without getting injections of your favorite biochemicals. If you start laughing then you will soon find something to laugh about. If you decide to be enthusiastic about something then you will feel enthusiastic. If you decide that your job is boring and you can't wait to go home, your days will become very long indeed.

Answer 4

Recursion: see, Recursion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole/Stimpy's_Invention#Stimpy.27s_Invention

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