Figure 1: Illustration of the neuronal response to emotional stimuli (Source)
When asked a question of whether logic is more important than emotions, most would value being logical and rational over making decisions based on emotions. Most would also claim that they heavily rely on logic, especially because in South Korea today, practical intelligence is valued over impulse and emotion. Such was the case in 2014 when the Korean news channel EBS conducted a survey where a majority of adult volunteers responded that logic is more important. However, new studies begin to illustrate quite the contrary: emotions influence decision-making and play a large role in our cognitive processes.
Emotions are defined as a set of interactions between subjective and objective variables that are interpreted by individual neural and hormonal systems (“The Influences of Emotion”). These neural responses occur due to external stimuli (i.e. being placed in a specific situation) and create different experiences of pleasure or displeasure on a large scale. As Leonard Mlodinow, an American physicist, states in his book “Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking”, emotions are inseparable from logic and reasoning. Every decision that we make has a varying level of influence on our emotions and is the main factor that motivates all behaviors.
Several studies are beginning to show this importance of emotions to cognitive processes. For example, Arne Öhman, a Swedish psychologist, conducted an experiment that is now published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, which tested target detection and the participants’ ability to visually find specific pictures(“Emotion Drives Attention”). Pictures and variables that induced emotional stimuli such as fear were shown to capture the attention of participants much faster than variables that did not create emotional stimuli. The observations were consistent even with several distracting variables; participants reacted quickly to the images that stimulated an emotion. Essentially, this study proved that individuals would react based on the prioritization of their emotions. Another study, from the National Library of Medicine, even found that emotions are connected to our visual perception(“Emotion and Perception: The Role of Affective Information”). Negative emotions such as sadness and guilt can increase our susceptibility to visual illusions and alter the physical environment of the world. Feelings of fear can visually alter the size of that fear inducing variable, goal-directed desires for an object can alter the apparent size of it as well.
Emotions also have the ability to influence our learning and memory, cognitive traits that we considered for several decades that were separate from the influence of emotions. Although emotions are perceived as disrupting the development of these traits, emotions are actually crucial in the learning process and memorization. Emotions allow external stimuli, such as a visual cue, a specific noise, or a sentence, to be linked to a past memory, and thus have significant value to an individual. Dr. Lila Davachi, an associate professor in NYU's Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, stated that strong emotions during a specific moment stimulate our brain and sharpen memory(“Emotions and memory: here's the link”). The amygdala releases adrenaline from strong emotions, which then strengthens the memory function within our hippocampus. This allows us to remember specific information, certain dates, and personal experiences to use to our advantage and benefit. In fact, this trait of emotions is so influential and strong to the point that we see examples of this in our society, such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Emotions have always been a difficult variable to grasp and understand, as it is not physical and unique among everyone. And yet, it is an essential part of human nature that defines us as individuals and allows us to experience happiness in our lives. Now, we are finding more information about how exactly emotions work and affect us physiologically. With more research and being aware of its influence, we would be able to control our emotions to strengthen ourselves, whether that’s improving our memory or reducing the effect it has on our physical state and perception.
Q&A:
Jennah: Could you clarify the statement: “This trait of emotion is so influential to the point that we see several examples of this in our society, such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”? In essence, how does emotion relate to or influence the prevalence of mental disorders in contemporary society?
Emotion has a lot of influence on the prevalence of mental disorders in our society. Disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), and even depression are all caused by emotions. Unlike rational thoughts, emotions are the underlying factor that creates the irrational fear, anxiety, and negative feelings seen in most mental disorders.
Ian: How can we control our emotions to help our cognitive functions?
We have more control over our emotions than a lot of people believe. Using our strong emotions, we could use it to improve our memory and create links to remember important information. We can also turn negative emotions into positive ones by controlling them with our thoughts. For example, we have the ability to change feelings of anxiety and fear for a test or performance into excitement and enthusiasm.
Hannah: You mentioned that emotions have the ability to influence our learning and memory. In your opinion, do you think it is possible to stimulate certain emotions from students during memorization to enhance their studies?
Yes, it is possible to do this to students. By associating certain terms to something intriguing and emotionally stimulating, students would attain the ability to recall information at a much faster rate and at a higher chance of success. This is the reason why visual experiments and projects are so crucial to help students remember those concepts. Stimulating emotions of excitement during those projects can help students memorize and learn, instead of just making them directly memorize without involving emotions.
Anna: What was the first published study that showed our emotions have the ability to influence learning and memory?
Although emotions have been studied since the 19th century, one of the first published studies that showed its influence on our learning and memory would be in the 1980s. According to the National Library of Medicine, a study in 1987 conducted by Alice M. Isen, Kimberly A.Daubman, Gary P. Nowicki showed how stimulus of positive emotions increased the participants’ ability to solve problems that involved creative thinking.
John: Could you give some examples of external stimuli that affect neural responses?
An external stimulus that affects neural responses can be any form of interaction we have with others. For example, this could be an interaction with another friend that led to a large fight. This would stimulate the amygdala, the part of our brain that allows us to feel emotions, and make us feel anger, frustration, or sadness.
Melissa: What are some recommended ways of controlling emotion?
Emotions can be controlled if we trick ourselves into believing that the feelings we have are positive and not negative. Essentially, by changing our thought processes, we could control our irrational emotions to some degree. First, thinking positively and putting in the effort to engage with others can help reduce negative emotions that usually lead to major problems such as depression. If you do feel negative emotions such as anxiety, you can still change it into other emotions, such as excitement, by changing your thought processes.
Fabian: How can controlling emotion influence how people live and interact within society?
People would be able to interact much more easily if they accept the fact that their decisions are influenced by emotions, and control them at the same time. We would be able to prevent more irrational decisions and help others by being more sympathetic and understanding of their emotions as well.
Works Cited
F;, Ohman A;Flykt A;Esteves. “Emotion Drives Attention: Detecting the Snake in the Grass.” Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11561921/.
McDermott-Murphy, Caitlin. “Logic or Emotion: Which Is More Valuable?” Harvard Gazette, Harvard Gazette, 31 Jan. 2022, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/01/logic-or-emotion-which-is-more-valuable/.
Tyng, Chai M., et al. “The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 1AD, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01454/full#:~:text=Emotion has a substantial influence, as motivating action and behavior.
Written by Lindsay Dodgson, Reporter. “Emotions and Memory: Here's the Link.” World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/feeling-emotional-can-improve-your-memory-when-you-least-expect-it/#:~:text=According to the new research, that time period are sharpened.
Zadra, Jonathan R, and Gerald L Clore. “Emotion and Perception: the Role of Affective Information.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3203022/#:~:text=In fact, emotions routinely affect, size of goal-relevant objects.
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