We Think In Emotional Footprints

Pixar did a masterful job in crafting Inside Out, a humorous and research-based movie on the inner-workings of emotions in a person’s life.  Having a control board with different emotions at the controls worked well.  However, feelings don’t always operate (or cooperate) in that manner.

Using fMRI technology we can see how the brain “lights up” in real time.  We’ve learned that if someone claps their hands in front of another person’s face, unexpectedly, the amygdala (the emotional center of the limbic system) lights up in 2.5 milliseconds.  In 250 milliseconds the brain is processing or “thinking” about what just happened and then the amygdala calms down.  So we FEEL—THINK—FEEL.  Moving from the initial shock and surprise to the thought process and then re-filing it under “safe”, we discover through brain imaging that feelings and thoughts are braided—it’s very difficult to sequence them.  Some would even argue that we can’t make good decisions without feelings.  Purchasing a Hallmark card would certainly fall into that category.  Whatever cards moves us emotionally is usually the card that gets purchased. 

If it is true that We Think In Emotional Footprints, it could profoundly impact the place we give emotions in education and parenting.