In other words, we need to consider how any particular emotion (inner circle) will translate into a feeling (outer circle). Or, to switch our focus to the positive, we can use the Emotion Wheel to see that the emotion of “happy” on the inner circle can result in a feeling of “joyful,' “powerful” or even “proud” on the outside circle.Īll well and good you perhaps say, but how does an understanding of this help us make choices that are actually beneficial in the long run, and not, perhaps, just perceived as beneficial in the short run? We do that by focusing on the resulting feeling. To continue with our fear to frightened/inferior example above, we can look at the Emotion Wheel to more clearly visualize that 'fear' on the inner circle is different from 'frightened' on the outer one.

We become aware of them only after responsive hormones have entered our bloodstream and we experience them as a feeling of being frightened or perhaps inferior.Īwareness that there is a constant and complex dance between emotions and feelings could significantly improve your emotional intelligence, including your decision making ability. However, to aid in your understanding of the matter, let me introduce you to Paul Ekman’s Emotion Wheel. Then, usually after an extremely short period of time, we become aware of those changes. And, it needs to translate those emotions into actionable feelings. In an ever-changing environment, this is the only way an organism can survive.įor instance, when we feel threatened by something, the initial emotion is labeled “fear.' That fear, by means of hormones, results in the production of fight-or-flight responsive feelings, allowing our body to react quickly and appropriately for its own self-preservation. This emotional reaction happens suddenly and unconsciously. Antonio R. Damasio, the brain constantly needs to update its information on the body’s state in order to regulate the many processes that keep it alive. In other words, your emotions impact your decision-making process by creating certain feelings.Īccording to another expert in the field, American-Portuguese neuroscientist Dr. So, to review, it’s stimuli, then emotions, then hormones and, finally, feelings. These hormones enter the bloodstream and create feelings, sometimes negative and sometimes positive. That stimulus generates an unfelt emotion in the brain, which causes the body to produce responsive hormones.

First, every feeling begins with an external stimulus, whether it's what someone said or a physical event.

Leniency pattern of decisions synonym