Emotions & Feelings
Human beings, as a course of nature will naturally experience the world through their feelings and emotions. We will discuss about our feelings and emotions at great length, and will try to put into words the millions of sensations that we feel throughout our lives. We experience different feelings and emotions every single day, and even though the two terms ‘feelings’ and ‘emotions’ are often used interchangeably, they are two entirely different things.
For many people there really is no difference between feelings and emotions, but that is only because they are unable to understand the true nature and difference between them. It is important that you learn to distinguish between your emotions and your feelings; since it will help you overcome negative instances in your life, and allow you to find peace and happiness in your life.
So let’s take a look at the difference between feelings and emotions, shall we?
Emotions
Our emotions are generally low level responses that generally occur in the sub-cortical region of our brain, and can create biochemical reactions that will alter your physical state. They help in producing quick reactions in your body, when it senses any threat or a reward in different environments. Emotions remain similar universally for every human, and our emotional arousal is important for consolidating memories. This is the reason why our emotional memories are stronger, since they come before feelings, and are physical in nature.
Feelings
Feelings on the other hand occur in the neo-cortical region of the brain, and are mainly mental reactions and associations towards emotions. They can be easily influenced by memories, beliefs and personal experiences in life. A feeling in general is a mental reflection of what is happening in your body, and when you have an emotion, the feeling will try to assign some form of meaning to the emotion. Therefore, feelings are what you experience after an emotion, and since they happen on a subconscious level it is difficult to measure them accurately.
The difference between the two
The primary difference between feelings and emotions is that emotions are physical in nature, while feelings are mental in nature. Your feelings are often colored by emotions and are sparked through images, memories and thoughts that have been synchronized with a particular emotion you experienced before in your life. However, it works the other way around as well, as a feeling can trigger a particular emotion as well, but these emotions will generally be temporary in nature.
Emotions cause subconscious feelings in your body, which can also cause you to experience emotions at various instances and points in your life. For instance, when you have negative feelings towards someone or something, you will experience negative emotions towards them, without knowing the reason why.
Everyone experiences basic emotions every day, and the feelings that they generate are based on our experiences in the past and the present. Our feelings are shaped by our experiences and our temperament, and are generally different from situation to situation and person to person. In general the feelings and emotions that we experience are vital in how we perceive, interact and experience the world, since our behavior and temperament is driven by our emotions and feelings.