Our mood is an impermanent state of our mind and it is influenced by our emotions(1). Emotions are reactions we have in response to what happens around us, for example if a person hears bad news, it evokes sadness(2). So, where do emotions come from? Our brain is responsible for it. If our brain detects either fear or reward for example, the limbic system of our brain sends chemical signals called neurotransmitters to alert us(3). But our brains are also divided, meaning that there is the rational and the emotional parts (4). The rational part is logical but slow, while the emotional part is very fast though mostly irrational (4). Emotions have 3 key elements (2)
- the subjective experience-it means that situations that trigger us might make another person to feel nothing.
- the psychological response like your heart rate increasing when you have anxiety.
- the behavioral response which is our body language and how we chose to express those emotions.
Emotions can therefore be the driving force between us and rationality (4). They can hijack our brain and make us less rational(4). But remember, one cannot be rational without being emotional but you can’t be rational if you are too emotional too (4). The next time you are deciding something, remember that emotions acted upon too quickly can make you make decisions you will later regret (4). The more things we have to process the more likely we are to decide emotionally (4).
References:
1 .https://theconversation.com/the-emotion-centre-is-the-oldest-part-of-the-human-brain-why-is-mood-so-important-63324
2.https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-emotions-2795178
3.
4 .https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/your-emotional-brain-is-smarter-than-your-brain-thinks
Hi Najma,
This is such a cool and useful topic! I have always found emotions interesting because of all the different ways they can affect people. From one event, different people have different emotions, because of various factors like their different perspectives, how the event or result is impacting them, what their goals are, and what role they play in the event. These emotions can them impact people to different extents, depending on how sentimental they are. I love how you talked about these areas in your blog post, especially the part where you listed the three key elements.
After reading your blog, I’m curious about one more question – why are some people more rational than others? Is this actually because of how the different parts of out brain deals with emotions? Or are there other factors contributing to this?
Here are a few links that addresses this question:
https://www.healthline.com/health/why-am-i-so-emotional-2#common-reasons
https://www.millennial-revolution.com/build/dont-get-science-logic-emotion/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-neuroscience-emotion-and-decisionmaking/202208/do-emotions-help-or-hinder-rational-thinking
Good luck and I’m excited to read more of your posts!
Hey Najma,
This is a fantastic blog post! I think this topic is really useful because knowing what activates our emotions can help us figure out how to control them. I also agree with your statement that acting on your emotions can lead to decisions you will regret in the future because sometimes we make choices out of pain and anger without thinking of the outcomes it might have. A question I have is which emotion is the strongest to the human brain? Is it anger, happiness or sadness? Below are a couple of links that talk about the different parts of our brain and what emotions they control which might help you with your future blog posts.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-science-of-emotions-2488708#:~:text=Generally%2C%20many%20people%20have%20suggested%20that%20the%20right,though%20several%20studies%20to%20support%20the%20basic%20concept.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-emotions-trick-your-brain-2/
Good luck!
Mahdiya A.