Emotional experience
Perception is the process of interpreting sensory information to understand the world, while emotional experience is the subjective feeling, like happiness or sadness, that arises from those interpretations. Emotions can influence perception by biasing what we notice and how we interpret it, while perceptions are our beliefs and interpretations that can generate feelings.
Perception
- Definition: The process of using your senses to become aware of the world and to gain information about your environment. It is about how the world is organized into pathways, tools, and obstacles based on sensory input.
- Function: To interpret and make sense of external stimuli, linking sensations to their environmental causes.
- Nature: It’s a cognitive process that involves making meaning, but it can be influenced by factors like prior experiences and emotions.
Emotional experience
- Definition: A subjective, personal feeling like happiness, sadness, anger, or fear. It is a psychophysiological experience that includes feelings, physical changes, and cognitive appraisal.
- Function: To provide internal feedback, signal importance, and motivate behavior.
- Nature: It is inherently subjective, meaning it is unique to each individual and shaped by their perceptions, beliefs, and past experiences.
The relationship between perception and emotion
- Emotion influences perception: Your emotions can act as a filter, biasing your perception. For example, feeling afraid of a spider might make you perceive a small, harmless spider as a large, threatening one.
- Perception influences emotion: Our perceptions and beliefs can generate emotional responses. For instance, the perception that “I am not good enough” can lead to feelings of sadness or shame.
- They are intertwined: It is difficult to separate the two completely, as they constantly influence each other. Emotions can make certain aspects of the world more noticeable, while the way we perceive an event directly impacts the emotions we feel.
- Distinction is key for self-awareness: Understanding the difference can help you manage your reactions. Acknowledging a perception as a thought can help you see it for what it is, rather than accepting it as a fact, which can then change how you feel.
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://neurodivergentinsights.com/feelings-are-not-facts/
[2] https://www.verywellmind.com/perception-and-the-perceptual-process-2795839
[3] https://fiveable.me/key-terms/ap-euro/subjective-emotions
[4] https://livingselfmastery.com/en/the-difference-between-feelings-and-perceptions/
[6] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6329607/
[8] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3203022/
[9] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/emotion-perception
[10] wikipedia/en/Emotion_perception
[11] https://couplestherapymelbourne.com.au/perceptions-vs-feelings-how-to-tell-the-difference/