Emotion is not as straightforward as it might seem, and you hear a lot of “common sense” talk downplaying emotion. Emotions is the internal awareness that keeps us informed of our state of being. Emotion = connections. No connections would mean no emotions. In fact, emotion has a lot of depth not only in feedback regarding our biological health, but in understanding our perceptual processing also.
Can you think independently of emotion? The compounds that produce our emotional states don’t break down into calm thoughtful compounds and emotionally disturbed compounds. The compounds are neurotransmitters, nutritionally acquired ligands, olfactory pheromone shifts. Our every state of being has a material parallel.
I’ve often had times when I’ve said I shouldn’t think about something now because my mood is bad. As a result, I know my thinking will be negative on the subject. Our states influence our thinking, but they do not dictate it.
And vice versa? Yes, indeed. You can wilfully alter your biochemistry. I have recently altered some portions of it in myself, because I discovered how it was affecting my behaviour.
Where does emotion come from, the biochemistry? Actually, no. It’s just “read” from the chemistry. The chemistry is a material road sign which we often ignore or mistranslate, though how we as a species have come to not “speak our own language” is a mystery to me.
I’m not even sure where emotion is, the body, brain or both? The body and brain are just the body. One whole organic system. In fact, if you thought of the brain as a huge hormone gland, you wouldn’t be completely inaccurate.
Emotion is how we make ourselves aware of our state of being? Emotions is the object of awareness. It’s an exchange of energies between our own system and the “external” environment, and has an order not at all in context if seen as a purely subjective experience.
Is there such a thing as over reacting emotionally? Over reacting is a style of thinking, and it’s paradoxical.
Trained behaviour is when we feel a certain way, we’re taught to yell at people, for example? Yes, but it’s more objective than even that. Literal physical changes have been made in your biochemistry, and the molecular structure of your neurons, and in the genetic and epigenetic collective. When someone gives you an emotional reaction, you not only have “objective” experiences of their behaviour. Your biochemistry literally changes. Moods aren’t just figuratively contagious. They are literally, and your emotional reaction will have as much effect on your body and those of other people, as might say, the weather. Again, another metaphor that is more than metaphor.
There is a big mystery that people have given little thought to. The saying “You are what you eat”. Well, that’s true, but you also are who you meet. From the patterns of their behaviour that your brain mirrored, to their physical smell. The material you take in… There is no evidence to support the notion, at least not scientifically, that it’s actually disconnected from the source. Even the food you eat that’s been handled by other people.
That reminds me of a TV series that focused on infants and how they learn about the world. Then I’m on topic, because emotion is the most primal element of consciousness, and is not only cross species, but crosses states of matter.
When a baby first meets a new person and that person makes a certain gesture, say sticking out their tongue, the next time that person is seen the baby will make that same gesture. Their way of saying I remember you. Yes, preverbal communication which in adults is still the biggest part of communication.
Yes, lovers do that too. I think it’s called mirroring. Hugely. This is why they say romantic partners look like each other, and why they say those unsuited to be romantic partners “don’t have chemistry.” But the information (the information of emotion) is what means the most to us.
Emotion is frighteningly simple, and I say frighteningly for a reason. We are taught that we get information in one form and somehow translate it to “our form”. There is actually no real evidence to support this, as we did not create the “language” that structured our bodies.
Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.
Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~