Brain User Manual – How do the emotions work?
It’s amazing so few people are aware of such basic things as the model for their own actions. When buying a car they invest in driving lessons, passing license exams. Even using a vacuum cleaner is often preceded by consulting the manual. Don’t you think that the human being is a bit more complicated than the vacuum cleaner, or even a car? Not to mention that we are much more valuable.
One of the fundamental forces pushing us to act are our emotions. Perhaps it’s the only force making us do something – I wonder if I’ve ever made a decisions completely without any emotion and it comes to me, that they have always existed somewhere in the background associated with the objective of taking that decision.However I do not insist that it’s the same in your case.
Anyhow let’s focus on how emotions work. An emotion arises in our body as a reaction to the observed (or imagined!) stimulus. Information about the event received through your senses is interpreted by the brain through a set of your beliefs, values – and then evaluated. It seems to me that no emotions occur without such an evaluation! It constitutes a basis for your brain to command your body to enter into the appropriate (positive or negative) emotion. Next, this emotion can be translated into an action – your behavior, and certainly into your thoughts. And at the end the path will be completed: stimulus, reception, interpretation, emotion, behavior(thought).
An example? While seeing a couple kissing on the street, you might come to a conclusion that this is indecent behavior (on the basis of your beliefs), enter into the emotion of shame and, for example, turn your head away. You might also be glad that people show their love to each other and you can smile widely. Moreover you might recall a similar event from your past coming into the emotion, which you had at the time. What would be the best for you now?
Your senses deliver an observation to your brain, which using your beliefs and values evaluates the situation commanding the emotion, which drives your actions and affects your thoughts.
It’s the way I can see it at the moment, you can agree or disagree – just take anything, which might be useful for you.
Best wishes,
Stanislaw
t’s amazing so few people are aware of