Is there proof that emotions aren't facts?

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BenSinner

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“Feelings are not facts”
“It’s just a feeling. It’s not a fact”
“Logic is not based on one’s feelings”

I am curious to see if there is proof in this.

Often, what we consider ‘true’ is based on our emotions. An anxious and paranoid lover is convinced their spouse is cheating on them. A depressed person is convinced they are worthless and life has no meaning. An angry person is convinced that their boss is a jerk with no redeemable qualities.

Usually when one says “feelings aren’t facts”, they are usually in a calm mood…which is also an emotion. So if negative emotions distort reality, why don’t positive ones like calmness distort them as well?

It is often said that anxiety makes us “hyper aware”, so perhaps anxious thinking is more clear and truthful thinking?

What are examples of something being true no matter how strong of positive/negative emotions are attached to them?
 
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Panic distorts our perception of reality, clear thinking illuminates it.
After that, your belief system has more influence on how you regard truth.
 
BenSinner said:
What are examples of something being true no matter how strong of positive/negative emotions are attached to them?
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Well this is the entire basis for a jury based justice system as opposed to letting the families concerned argue over compensation. There’s a reason the families of alledged victims don’t make good, objective jury members! The facts of the case are objective whether you knew the alleged victim or not.

Furthermore, often our emotional response to a situation is based on short term interest, which can act against the long-term interest.

There are three books on this subject I’d recommend: Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the madness of crowds, the wisdom of crowds and thinking fast and slow.
 
BenSinner said:
“Feelings are not facts”
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In my opinion, the language of that statement is a bit loose. Perhaps one should define and delimit the word “fact.” A feeling certainly exists in the mind, and is also perhaps a neurological state with some objective, physical reality. The difficulty may be that the objective fact or truth or existence of the feeling does not always correspond to other objective facts and truths. So perhaps the above (quoted) statement could be put more precisely. I leave this as an exercise to the reader. 😉
 
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Facts, do not always represent truth, they do however stand in for that which is ‘truth’ to us at that particular moment in time. In science facts can be changed or modified in the light of new knowledge. Emotions, can work both ways regarding the veracity or otherwise, of facts. Our emotions and cognition sometimes play a ‘team game’, and at other times can appear to work against each other, in a kind of ‘power tussle’ - the outcome of this ‘power struggle’ can, and does, differ from person to person, depending on other individual factors. Ergo sum, emotions are not facts, but play their part in determining what we may perceive as facts.
 
No. None. No proof they aren’t. Just hear say and inuendo against them because emotions disturb people and people don’t like them. :hugs:
 
When you have a clearer understanding of the traditional meaning of emotion (ie passion) I think things will become clearer for you.

BTW calmness is not passion/emotion, it is the very absence thereof.
 
In the context of someone who suffers from depression, it was believed throughout the history of psychiatry that this is an emotional disorder. But this just isn’t the case.

People with depression with bad feelings/emotions, have them as a result of distorted thinking. It’s as if they are wearing glasses with filters and they ween out any positive thoughts during an episode.

Your emotions result entirely from the way you look at things. It is an neurological fact that before you experience any event, you must process it with your mind and give it meaning. You must understand what is happening to you before you feel it.

An example of something being true:
You have self-worth. That is a fact.

If you’ve ever had severe depression, driving you to suicide, every thought, feeling and emotion will have you believe otherwise.
 
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Emotions are realities, but they need to serve the good and the true.

And this takes training and practice, using the will and the intellect.

The intellect can be hoodwinked by the “sensitive appetites” and over-assign importance to what the emotions are barking for.

The practice of various forms of temperance can strengthen the will in this balancing act, which lasts until we die.
 
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