EMOTIONS AND CRITICAL THINKING How do you feel about it?

WHAT ARE EMOTIONS?

In psychology and philosophy, emotion is a subjective, conscious experience characterized primarily by psychophysiological expressions, biological reactions, and mental states

We all experience emotion. Our emotions are shaped by our personal

experiences such as upbringing, environment education and

many other factors...

So its impossible to discount emotions when making decisions and thinking critically

Here are some common misconceptions from criticalthinking.org about emotions and critical thinking, how many of these have you heard or even thought?:

Emotions and reason are often in conflict with each other

It is possible to be an emotional person (and hence do little reasoning)

It is possible to be a rational person (and hence experience little emotion

Rational persons are cold, mechanical, and lack such desirable traits as compassion and sympathy

Emotional persons are lively, energetic, and colorful (though they are poor reasoners or do not follow their reasoning when making decisions)

Emotion and reason function independently of each other

But did you know:Getting in touch with your emotions is actually part of the critical thinking process!!

Research has found that emotional intelligence is an important skill that can teach us a lot about ourselves and thinking critically.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. - Psychology Today

So instead of ignoring your emotions when making a decision

EMBRACE THEM

IDENTIFY THEM

and think critically about them as well.