Overview of Emotional Thinking
What is emotional thinking?
You have likely heard different versions of this definition. We will consider emotional thinking as reacting to a feeling without rationalizing your thoughts.
The opposite of emotional thinking is using logic or understanding a thought before having an emotional reaction to it.
The two sides have been studied for years and have been shown to have several differences. We will look at some of these before moving on.
One disclosure, this article will not include a deep dive into scientific views nor is it meant to take the place of health treatment. The purpose is to consider assessing your thoughts, and reactions, and discover what mindset you operate from.
In This Article
Taking a Closer Look at Emotional Thinking
As mentioned, we will not move extensively into science here because there is plenty of material that can be found on anatomy of the brain, physiology, and scientific research.
What we will address are some functional concepts behind emotional thinking and how to gain balance in your life while considering your action steps.
Left Brain vs. Right Brain Simply Stated
The only part of science I will mention because it is commonly misquoted, is that we use only one side of our brain.
It was originally thought that each side—left and right—has its own function. Depending on your character and actions, it would determine your dominance. However, it has since been proven that both sides of your brain function together.
The left side does drive logic and reason, and the right side promotes creativity and emotion. Although different, they do not work separately from each other. See this article on more information about left vs. right brain.
To form a clearer focus on some of the differences between logical thinking and emotional thinking, let’s look at several terms that you may have heard when talking about the two.
- Reasoning vs. Reactions
- Logic vs. Feelings
- Intelligence vs. Emotions
- Makes Sense vs. Feels Good
- Analytical vs. Just Doing It
- Rational vs. Reactive
These are all phrases that you may have used to compare emotion vs logic.
Thinking that you should use one or the other often creates an incorrect view of how you react and make decisions in your everyday life.
Logic vs. Emotion
You may have heard it said that thinking through something is important before making a decision. We know this can be challenging.
However, more difficult can be a reactive, or emotional, response to a situation that you’re facing.
While each part has its place, allowing an emotion to drive your thoughts or decision-making can often lead to harder issues. It may even cause anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or self-deprivation.
This often happens when we have a feeling or emotion and assume it “must be true” simply because we feel it. If there is less understanding of the emotion, or little assessment, it can create a feeling of lack of control when you have a decision to make.
The main point is to understand that both processes—emotional and logical—have a role.
We’re not talking about isolating one from the other but rather better understanding the place each has in your life.
Although emotions may create difficulties when used solo, they have a great role in creating compassion and empathy when you consider them with thoughts. Even reminiscing to your past experiences and emotions can sometimes assist when you have a decision to make.
In general, it’s not usually good to decide only by emotion or logic. What may seem right at the time can easily end up creating a difficult situation later.
The idea is not to rely solely on one method or the other.
Factors to Consider with Emotional Thinking
When beginning to assess what kind of thought processes you have, remember that balance is important.
You don’t want to completely depend on your emotions to tell you which path to take because there are logical points that will be overlooked. Also, it’s not wise to consider only the logic in circumstances without attention to how people, including yourself, may be affected.
This is often challenging when we are in relationships or meet new people. Emotion, infatuation, or excitement often lead us down a path without much thought.
One point to make here: a good reason not to let your emotions drive your decisions is that emotions can trick you into thinking things that are not necessarily true.
This is shown simply by thinking back over our previous situations.
For example, you might feel great about someone you recently met. You assume that your emotions are reliable and true. While focusing on your emotions, you might convince yourself of even more “truths” about the situation. Then, when the outcome you envisioned doesn’t happen, it creates multiple negative emotions. These may include sadness, anxiety, and fear.
Regret is a strong reaction that often comes with this scenario especially when we realize the outcome could have possibly been avoided.
On the other hand, if you had spent time thinking about the person, going over your impressions of them rationally, or even learning more about them, you would be using logic to assess the situation. The combination of emotional and rational thinking can create a more solid foundation.
We all know situations can take a turn or end in a way we didn’t expect. However, people often report that with rational thinking, rather than only emotional thinking, they feel they “did all they could” to prevent difficulties.
Action Steps for Addressing Emotional Thinking
We’ve looked at some ideas about emotional vs. logical thinking. Now we will address some areas that can be focused on for action steps in creating better choices in your life.
It’s not uncommon to get, and even stay, in a spiral when your emotions lead you there. Many situations can be changed based on your mindset, your perspective, and your willingness to look closer at thoughts and emotions.
It’s important to begin with the view that you can make efforts to have less emotional reactions. You can increase the thoughtfulness that goes into your circumstances. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it when you see a difference in your steps.
Recognition of Emotional Thinking
As with any area where you want to make a change, it’s imperative to gain better understanding of what is going on currently. This is discovery.
Take inventory of how you currently operate in various situations. This will likely be different case-by-case. Numerous factors can change each circumstance. Some of these are people, memories of past experiences, and even triggers that create specific reactions.
This is considered emotional awareness.
When you start to recognize what situations bring about more emotion, and which ones allow greater thought, it becomes easier to lay the groundwork for change.
The key in this category is still balance. If you tend to lean toward one reaction or the other—thought vs. emotion—take note of that.
A great example of this is how society currently responds to circumstances. We often see reactions of fear, disgust, and disdain. Depending on the situation, these emotional reactions can lead to worse outcomes. A better step is to attempt consideration of other parts of a thought process and not only an emotional reaction.
An important point to realize is that your brain will change over time when your focus changes. This is how alternate habits, thoughts, and processes are formed.
Regulation of Emotional Thinking
We talk about a common theme of balance throughout various situations of wellness.
The systems of the body were not made to operate in chaos and that goes for your mind and emotions also.
After taking some time to assess your reactions and thoughts in various circumstances, begin to focus on what steps need to take place to make a change. Perhaps you have even had a desire for change already, but you need a method to make it happen.
Being intentional with recognizing your emotional and thoughtful reactions—especially around specific people and in particular circumstances—can bring about an overdue change.
Mindfulness is a terrific way to increase your regulation of emotions and thoughts. Spending even a few minutes more focused can create a better atmosphere for gaining control.
Remember, balance is key, so begin by making an effort for one small change to an undesirable reaction. If you’re not sure what to do instead of feeling angry, sad, or excited, begin to place greater attention on thoughts that take place. Do this rather than allowing your emotions to take control. Focusing on daily intentions is a terrific exercise for this.
Self-regulation may not always be achievable at first. This is where a professional could be beneficial. They are trained to specifically help you focus on recognition of thoughts and emotions and steps you can take to make a change.
Results of a Wellness Focus
Whether by taking your own action steps, or getting a little help, you can have great results in increasing focus on your thoughts.
Once you better understand reactions to circumstances, and you focus on changing the undesirable ones, you’ll celebrate the result.
This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an easy journey or that you can skip investing time into new discoveries. We commit to the idea that personal development is ongoing. Even if you may not always feel like it, spending time focusing on these steps can lead to greater health and create lasting wellness.
Check out this article about turning off your emotions. It has helpful steps to become successful and keep your emotions from ruling your life.
Healthy Outcomes from Understanding Emotional Thinking
We’ve looked at recognition, regulation, and results from understanding emotional thinking.
We’ll continue by looking at some outcomes that you can have from taking healthy steps with a focus on balancing emotion and logic.
Better Emotional Wellness
When discussing whole body health, we’ve said that wellness is the act of improving your health and maintaining your progress.
This is no different with emotional wellness. Gaining a deeper understanding of how you handle things, and making beneficial changes, are steps for better wellness.
As you spend more time and make extra effort, it becomes easier. You may even begin to realize ways to maintain your emotional wellness when faced with difficulties and increase emotional and mental healing.
The most important point is to keep moving forward. This includes discovery, assessment, and action steps. When you get the hang of all three, you can achieve greater outcomes.
Greater Communication Ability
A challenging part of relationships, business, and networking is communication. It would be beneficial for most of us to brush up on our communication skills.
As you create better wellness with emotional thinking, it can allow more awareness of how your reactions affect others and your relationships. It also helps with coping when someone hurts you.
Realizing areas in which you react emotionally can help your communication skills. It allows greater insight into your interactions.
The more you understand the specifics of emotional thinking, the greater your opportunities are to increase communication. This improvement can filter to numerous areas of your life including work, friendships, leadership, and relationships.
Empathy for Others
One way that we learn is by doing or taking action steps.
Gaining understanding of and practicing balanced emotional thinking can create more positive outcomes in your life. Your actions can even increase empathy and compassion toward others.
Becoming more in touch with your emotions and thoughts can broaden your understanding of relationships. In turn, with a deeper knowledge, you can become more approachable and even more relatable to others.
Not only can you create better situations by more understanding, but you are able to have compassion for others when you see a similar struggle within them.
Once you discover emotional thinking, understand how it affects your life, and take action steps, you begin to have a different view of many circumstances.
After all, the world doesn’t need more judgement. It could use more acceptance.
Final Thoughts About Emotional Thinking
There are many difficulties that stem from solely using emotional thinking in your everyday life.
We’ve looked at the importance of discovery, assessment, and action steps to become knowledgeable and create understanding.
A better view is to decide to take control of your emotional thinking. Don’t let it run your thoughts or sabotage your decisions.
Remember, don’t shy away from the idea of letting a professional help you if you’re having trouble understanding the concept.
Keep looking, continue learning, and never give up! You can move toward success because of your willingness and efforts.