Emotions and reason: the winning combination

In our society today, it is commonly accepted that passion is the enemy of reason (Descartes, 1649). Passion is, moreover, defined as an emotional state, a strong, “irrational” emotion that dominates the individual.

The collective unconscious has ultimately taken a shortcut and created a dichotomy between, on the one hand, reason, and on the other hand, emotions; some of which are even condemned, such as anger, sadness, or fear.

But what is the reality?

Damasio’s research (1994, 2010) is extremely insightful on this topic.

In his book “Descartes’ Error” (1994), the author, on the contrary, highlights the fact that without our emotions, our reasoning is biased and we can end up making absurd decisions.

The ability to express and feel emotions is even considered essential for developing rational behavior.

The somatic marker theory shows us, in this regard, that each stimulus is associated with an emotional (and/or sensory) response and then recorded in the prefrontal cortex. This somatic marker influences decision-making when the individual is confronted with a similar stimulus.

Damasio (1994) concludes that “somatic markers therefore probably increase the accuracy and efficiency of the decision-making process” (Damasio, 1994).

Reason and emotions would therefore ultimately be intrinsically linked.

Our emotions serve as our compass, guiding our decisions. They are neither good nor bad in themselves. It is how we understand and manage them that is fundamental. If we don’t listen to our compass, isn’t the ultimate risk that we will lose ourselves?

Rebecca Saintes
Clinical Psychologist

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Source :
Damasio A.(1994). L’erreur de Descartes : La raison des émotions. Editions Odile Jacob.
Damasio A. (2010). Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain. Editions Pantheon.
Decartes (1990). Les passions de l’âme. Editions Le Livre de Poche.