Feelings...

Ya another,stupid feeling thread,(you might think) but it is KINDA different so please pay attention.When i was taking my dog outside today,i saw a funeral...People crying,the victims mother shouting...I suddenly felt something aching inside me,but then,i watched my dog,happily running around the park...I thought,:''Hmm...Maybe feelings,is what gave humans,the ability to think...''Browsing through your memories,you get particular feelings,of sorrow,happiness,is what makes humans either evolve,or go even ''more back in time''...Those feelings are intriguing you,in order to make some things in life,good or bad.Ya um,so these are my thoughts,what do you guys think?

 

It can be argued that feelings or emotion are some of the older of our current cognitive processes. Much of what we experience has had an effect in promoting our survival. We feel companionship and a connection with those familiar to us, hostility towards those that our unfamiliar, etc. Now that we're capable of more in terms of mental processing we've found further ways to understand and convey our emotions. It's not really that one caused the other, they contribute equally to each other as part of cognition; strong experiences result in affect which in turn become memories associated with that affect.

 

Well,just think of it...It is usually said,that humans,evolved and got better through teamwork.Maybe teamwork is the result of compassion,which is another feeling!People share fellings with each other,thus bringing them closer.

 

if I read it right, which im going to assume I did, your view says that animals dont experience feelings, I have to disagree with that, my cat for example, I took her from a family that the kids used to abuse her all the time, now when those kids come around she gets defensive and triesto hide, attacking anyone that goes near her during that time-except for me, who has cared for her daily. Or a dog, when it sees its master, it will become more active and playful-happier, if you will, than when its without said master.


in short, I think feelings, and emotions belong to everything thats living, animal, and human alike.

 

That is true, but likewise constant teamwork can result in affection for teammates. The point is that both work together and neither is a stronger driving force.

 

We humans have a special thing that animals have in minority; to include those with bigger brains. Our frontal lobes are very complex and large, and are pretty well determined to be what helps us have 'control' over emotions and also conscience. When the frontal lobe is damaged or is not used much, often a person may be overactive, hostile, aggressive, or well...not feel much of anything of regret or remorse. There are many studies going on about the human brain and we learn more constantly.

People often say animals do not feel emotions, but I would say I disagree with that. Anyone that has a domesticated animal will disagree with that because that animal adapts to your life; especially say a dog or cat. You can tell when they feel sick, there are drugs for cats or dogs for depression because yes, they can get depressed, animals who are abused are timid or may even become aggressive, and for some reason, if you are really sad a dog or a cat will go to you and be curious as to what is wrong. Animals definitely have emotions, but what they do not have is a frontal lobe that is as cool as ours, and of course, our brains are more developed and larger.

We do empathize with others and learn and feel benevolence. We are social creatures and if there is a scene so emotional as the funeral you witnessed, your reaction is normal, and perhaps that sadness makes you begin to think. So in that case, yes, emotion inspired you to make a choice to think more about things. Also, memories do help forge us into the people we are and the most traumatic and happy memories seem to be the ones we remember, while the more menial stuff just gets left at the roadside somewhere.

Animals do feel things and some even adopt children of others in their packs or groups because of a loyalty or whatever. A baby chimp that loses its mother will sit there and be very depressed and 'cry' in its way and often is taken up by another mother. However, we have the ability to cognate and advance ourselves with that frontal lobe. We don't have to become creatures of habit but can scheme, learn, educate ourselves, push ourselves in other directions not planned etc. Emotions and memories do help, but also the thinking, rational mind propels you too because it's really what will take people places and make things happen. If we were all about emotions and all, I doubt the human species would be where it is now because those people who are over emotional or under emotional are mostly the ones who set us back. In the end my thought would be this: We are inspired by our perceptions that invigorate our emotions that motivate our inventive minds to do things. Hope that makes sense.

 

I've only seen it as a more detailed socail interaction compared to other animals.

Though I think if your dog was closer with the person who had died, they would've not been running around and been more saddened by it, dogs get depressed when they lose their owner, if thats the right word to use.
I think thinking more than other animals does make humans easier to develop attractions or disgust towards each other. Emotions aren't as strong in animals, bu they are there.