This was demonstrated in an experiment by social psychologist Robert Zajonc, who asked people to view a series of slides of pictures, words and figures. Research has demonstrated that everything triggers emotions in us, and these emotions automatically influence our moral reasoning. Their social lives were severely impaired as they became less thoughtful partners, friends and colleagues.Īnd not only do emotions have a valid role in processing information, they are also constantly at work. This was life for Damasio’s patients: they could think about anything at all with absolutely no emotional input, leading to a general indifference in their behavior. Imagine that every choice you made in life meant as little to you as choosing a new kettle. He studied patients with brain damage which had resulted in their emotionality dropping to nearly zero, and found that, at any given moment in their everyday life, every option the patients had at their disposal felt equally right to them. This tendency still prevails, but a growing body of research proves that emotions should no longer be regarded as secondary to logic.įor example, American neuroscientist Antonio Damasio has demonstrated that emotions play a more important role in processing information and making moral judgments than had previously been thought. Western philosophy has emphasized reason and logic over emotions for thousands of years.
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