![]() The cortex, for instance, has been found to contain a high density of receptors for many neuropeptides that are also heavily concentrated in the brain’s subcortical areas, which are associated with emotional processing.5 Evidence suggests, moreover, that communication channels linking the mental and emotional systems are essential for the expression of our full range of mental capacities. For example, bidirectional neural connections that exist between the frontal cortex and the amygdala permit emotion-related input from the amygdala to modulate cortical activity and cognitive input from the cortex to modulate the amygdala’s emotional information processing.īeyond these hard-wired neural connections, biochemical bridges also link key components of the mental and emotional systems. From a neuroscience perspective, several intriguing forms of interaction have been discovered that link the cognitive centers with the emotional processing areas of the brain. A number of research centers, rather than studying these systems in isolation, are attempting to understand the essential dynamic interactions that occur between them. Most contemporary researchers agree that cognition and emotion are distinct functions mediated by separate but interconnecting neural systems. However, a modern-day examination of emotions presents us with an entirely new perspective, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the emotional system and illuminating the critical roles that emotions play in human experience, performance, and rationality. Plato maintained that strong emotions made it impossibleįor him to think and described emotions as wild horses that had to be reined in by the intellect, while Christian theology has traditionally regarded many emotions as sins and temptations to be overcome by reason and willpower. Traditionally, the intellect was held in high regard, while emotions were considered “irrational” and received little recognition. The tendency to view emotions as operating separately and apart from rational or intellectual capacities dates back to the times of the ancient Greeks. Thus, historically, thinking and feeling-or intellect and emotion-have often been portrayed as opposing forces engaged in an incessant battle for control over the human psyche. In recent years, the concept of “emotional intelligence” has emerged, claiming that emotional maturity is as important as are mental abilities in both personal and professional spheres, and that emotional competencies often out-weigh the cognitive in determining success.1 The importance of gaining a deeper understanding of the emotional system has become increasingly recognized as an important scientific undertaking, as it has become clear that emotions underlie the majority of the stress we experience, influence our decisions, provide the motivation for our actions, and create the textures that determine our quality of life. The emotional system, on the other hand, encompasses feelings, which can span a range of intensity. Perception, appraisal, arousal, attention, memory, thinking, reasoning, and problem solving are often grouped together under the broader heading of cognition, or the mental system. The relationship between mind and emotions has been deliberated at length throughout history, with most schools of thought drawing a boundary between them. This discussion culminates in the presentation of a systems-oriented model of emotion in which the brain functions as a complex pattern-matching system, continually processing input from both the external and internal environments. From this perspective it is shown that the heart is a key component of the emotional system, thus providing a physiological basis for the long-acknowledged link between the heart and our emotional life. Particular attention is given to the intriguing body of research illuminating the critical role of ascending input from the body to the brain in the generation and perception of emotions. This monograph explores recent scientific advances that clarify central controversies in the study of emotion, including the relationship between intellect and emotion, and the historical debate on the source of emotional experience. ![]() Ronald de Sousa, The Rationality of EmotionĪs pervasive and vital as they are in human experience, emotions have long remained an enigma to science. The function where mind and body most closely ![]()
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