Decoding Emotions: Reactive or Created By The Brain?

Introduction

Emotions have long been perceived as reactive responses to external stimuli, shaping our thoughts and actions. However, modern neuroscience challenges this classic view by suggesting that emotions are not merely reactions but are actively created and utilised by the predictive brain. This shift in perspective opens up a fascinating exploration into the intricate workings of our minds and how we navigate the world around us. By delving into the concept of emotions as creations of the brain, we gain a deeper understanding of our emotional experiences and the profound impact they have on our daily lives. Join me on a journey to uncover the true nature of emotions.       

Definition of emotions

Emotions are complex psychological states that encompass a wide range of feelings, such as joy, sadness, anger, fear, and love. They play a crucial role in human experience, influencing our thoughts, behaviours, and interactions with others. Emotions are often characterised by physiological changes, subjective feelings, expressive behaviours, and cognitive interpretations. Understanding the nature of emotions is essential for enhancing emotional intelligence, promoting mental wellbeing, and fostering healthier relationships.

The classical view of emotions

In the classical view, emotions are considered to be innate and universal experiences that are hard-wired into our brains and are triggered by specific stimuli. This perspective dates back to ancient Greek philosophy and has been influential in shaping our understanding of emotions for centuries.

Key Points:

• Innate Nature: According to the classical view, emotions are seen as biologically determined responses that are hard-wired into human beings. This means that certain emotional reactions are automatic and not subject to conscious control.
  
• Universality: Another important aspect of the classical view is the belief that emotions are universal across cultures and societies. This implies that basic emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust are experienced similarly by people around the world.
  
• Distinct Categories: Emotions in the classical view are often categorised into discrete states with clear boundaries between them. For example, joy is seen as a distinct emotion separate from sadness or anger.
  
• External Triggers: Classical theorists emphasise external events or stimuli as triggers for emotional responses. In this perspective, emotions arise in reaction to specific situations or objects in the environment.
  
• Passive Reaction: Emotions are viewed as passive reactions to external stimuli in the classical view. Individuals have little agency over their emotional experiences and simply react based on predetermined patterns.
  

Overall, the classical view of emotions presents a simplistic yet influential framework for understanding how humans experience and express their feelings. It highlights a biological basis of emotions, their universality across cultures, and their role as automatic responses to external events.

The predictive, constructive view of emotions

This perspective suggests that emotions are not simply reactions to external stimuli but rather constructed by our brains based on predictions about the world.

Key Points:

• Prediction is Central: One key aspect of the predictive and constructive view is the emphasis on prediction as central to how we experience emotions. Our brains continuously make predictions about incoming sensory information, including potential threats or rewards, which influence our emotional responses.
  
• Simulation Theory: Another important concept in this perspective is simulation theory, which suggests that our brains simulate possible scenarios based on past experiences to anticipate future events. These simulations can evoke emotional responses even before an actual event occurs.
  
• Role of Expectations: Expectations play a crucial role in shaping our emotional experiences according to this view. Our prior beliefs and expectations inform how we interpret situations, leading to specific emotional responses.
  
• Flexibility In Emotional Responses: Unlike the classical view, which suggests emotions are fixed reactions to stimuli, the predictive and constructive view highlights the flexibility of emotional responses. Emotions can vary based on context, individual differences, and internal predictions. Future emotions can also be influenced by the deliberate emotional mapping we carry out today.
  
• Implications For Mental Health: Understanding emotions from a predictive and constructive viewpoint has implications for mental health interventions. By recognising the role of prediction errors in conditions like anxiety or depression, therapists can help individuals reframe their interpretations, create new predictive models for emotional mapping to help regulate their emotions effectively.
  

Overall, the predictive and constructive view offers a nuanced understanding of emotions as dynamic processes influenced by cognitive mechanisms such as prediction-making and simulation. By exploring how these mechanisms shape our emotional experiences, researchers gain insights into human behaviour, decision-making processes, and mental wellbeing.

Which view is correct?

Neuroscience has been proving the predictive and creative theory of emotions for several decades, and it is now beyond any doubt. Despite this, many textbooks, self-help books, courses and gurus still peddle the classical view of emotions which is less than helpful if you want to make real change in your life. In addition, many therapists are still treating emotions as if they are reactive and that we have no control over them. This causes issues on many levels, but particularly in keeping alive the notion that we don’t have much (if any) control over our emotional states.

Perhaps this is because it can be pretty difficult to get your head around, conceptually. And possibly even harder to translate this into a practical application that can actually help people improve their emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Our reality is that we feel that we react to situations, and therefore the classical view of emotions makes more logical sense to us. However, this only happens due to the predictive nature of our brain – it’s always a fraction of a second ahead of us, predicting our next actions through a combination of incoming sensory data and previous experiences and predictive models.

The constructive view of emotions opens up many powerful possibilities for making real, positive change in your life.

To learn more about the constructive theory of emotions, read the other articles on this site as well as watching Lisa Feldman Barett’s TED Talk on the subject and reading her book: Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.