First the thought and then the emotion

Coming from teaching at an English academy, we were inspired to write this article. By observing the students, we were able to practically verify the theory that first comes the thought and then the emotion.

That day At the academy a new girl entered the wrong class. The class she entered was an intermediate level and the girl who had just joined had an initial level, she barely understood anything and she was there as a test, to see how the classes worked.

It was a class in which the teachers spoke in English all the time, they said absolutely nothing in Spanish and they addressed the new girl in English and she did not understand them at all. She started the class, different exercises were done. Those who had an average level understood the teacher perfectly everything he spoke in English.

In one of the exercises, the teacher turned to a student, asked him several questions, and suddenly the student blushed. Why did he blush? They asked him something very personal that made him uncomfortable. The emotion of shyness appeared after his thought sent him information about it.

It is thought that gives way to emotion

When we receive any information the mind, in a matter of seconds, makes a judgment. If this is positive, we will obtain a positive emotion; and, if it is negative, we will receive a negative emotion, but without thought it is difficult for there to be emotion.

Proof of this is that when the teacher addressed the new girl, who did not understand any English, he asked her personal questions, like the other boy, but she did not feel any emotion, good or bad. They took her to the blackboard and, without understanding anything, she followed the instructions. Her colleagues even told her that for being new she was too relaxed and comfortable.

Afterwards, this girl commented that she was very surprised, that she was a very shy and insecure girl. But Since I didn’t understand anything, no negative emotions were activated. His mind was not receiving any information because he did not understand English, so his mind could not make internal interpretations.

Another example: When faced with someone who flatters us by telling us that we are elegant or handsome, a person who likes themselves will feel good when they tell you. However, a person who has complexes and does not like, when faced with such a compliment, will feel discomfort because internally he will be interpreting that they are saying it to comply or to encourage.

Control emotions

We create emotions ourselves with the internal interpretations we make every time we receive information.

But the truth is that, even if one does not realize that one is thinking, Those thoughts and evaluations are done unconsciously. Therefore, the key to keeping our emotions under control is to make these internal interpretations conscious and work on them every time we receive information.

Ask yourself every time you feel discomfort, what am I thinking about this situation or what I have been told? Nobody really hurts us, no situation causes us discomfortit is ourselves who hurt ourselves with the things we think.

If something affects you it is because you have a negative internal interpretation and, even if you are not aware of it, you have it. If you are able to detect that negative evaluation you make and change it, your emotions will also change. Entering the structure of thought is a very valuable tool to change emotions, because First comes the thought and depending on how it is, so will the emotion later.

The eternal debate

What was the first; the egg or the chicken? This question also applies when talking about emotions and thoughts. Although thoughts prior to emotion are established here, the truth is that not all authors think this way. There are those who maintain that the cognitive ability to consciously process the environment is evolutionarily posterior to emotions, so these would be activated first and then thoughts.

There are also neurological correlates in which it is seen that the crying areas are activated first and then the sadness areas are activated. Therefore, today a middle point is maintained in which it is assumed that emotions and thoughts are irremediably linked, so controlling only one of them will not serve as a magic formula to take control of your life. .

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