Emotions are Not the Same as Feelings
How paying attention to the difference can promote mental growth.
“The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” (Sokrates)
Language is one of humankind’s most valuable intellectual assets. It developed in parallel with our thinking.
As a mathematician, I am trained for precision — precision of language and precision of thought. All mathematical work begins with precise definitions — which is relatively easy when you design a language as you need it. Therefore, mathematical texts can be understood by every mathematician on this planet, no matter what colloquial language they use.
After I quit my career and began exploring humans and human behavior, I had to use the English language for my research — and quickly got into trouble. The definitions that I found for terms denoting human phenomena such as ‘consciousness’ or ‘emotions’ were circular or referred to other, similarly unsatisfactorily defined terms. Vague definitions are not useful because they leave too much room for interpretation. No wonder so many human phenomena remain mysterious! And no wonder that people usually misunderstand each other, which is often the basis for problems — private, professional, scientific, political, etc.
“I have to work out every insight for myself. I have to think through everything anew, from scratch, without prejudices.” (Albert Einstein)
I simply ignore the vague terminology and explore the phenomena as such. After all, it’s about phenomena, not words.
“One must be able to say at all times — instead of points, straight lines, and planes — tables, chairs, and beer mugs.” (David Hilbert)
Only then do I search for the appropriate words — and my experience is that in most cases the original meanings of the words are exactly right. Join me in exploring what feelings and emotions actually are — that is, what phenomena are aptly described by these two terms. This will not only give you a new perspective on feelings and emotions, but also introduce a powerful method for mental training.
Feelings
The word feel originates from the Old English word felan (= to perceive). Therefore, a feeling is a perception.
Look at an object. Usually, you would say that you perceive the object. But that is not correct. Your eyes are sensory organs. They receive the light reflected from the object. They convert the light into electromagnetic impulses, which are transmitted to your brain. You perceive the electromagnetic state of your brain (and nervous system) along with the physicochemical state of your body, which is caused by muscle tones, hormones, etc.
A feeling is a perception — and all you perceive is the state of your body. Therefore, a feeling is a perception of a body state or, more simply said, a feeling is a body state.
When you are enraged, your body feels a certain way. There’s an expression for it: “boiling with rage.” But it’s actually the other way round. You have learned to refer to a boiling body state as rage.
When your body feels tight, you have learned to refer to it as anxiety or fear. The word anxiety means just that, because it has the Proto-Indoeuropean root *angh- (= tight, painfully constricted). The word fear has the Proto-Germanic root *feraz (= danger), which denotes a typical cause of fear.
If you feel nothing, it’s actually not true, because your body always has a state. Maybe you just don’t have a name for “normal” body states … or you say something like “I feel healthy,” “I feel normal,” or “I feel fine.” If you have gone through a period of intense, uncomfortable body states, you may begin to appreciate, enjoy, and be grateful for periods of “normal” body states. (For a more detailed look at feelings, see my book “Being Free : Get Out of the Box — The Method with 99 Exercises.” If you want to become free from your programs, you must understand exactly how you function. For this, you must understand the phenomena in you. For this, you must get to the bottom of them.)
Emotions
When you are anxious (afraid), no one can see it. Anxiety is a feeling (body state), which only you can perceive/feel. This state of constriction is unpleasant, hostile to life, and seeks resolution. If the anxiety (fear) comes from an actual threat, such as a lion running toward you, resolution can come from a motion such as fight or flight.
When you are enraged, no one can see it. Rage is a feeling (body state), which only you can perceive/feel. This state of boiling is unpleasant, hostile to life, and seeks resolution. Resolution can come from an outburst of rage, which is a motion that shall normalize the tension patterns.
A motion triggered by a feeling is an outburst of feeling or emotion. This word originates from the Latin words ex (= out) and movere (= to move) and describes a motion outward. A feeling is a state, an emotion is a motion/movement. The word state comes from Latin stare (= to stand). The word motion comes from Latin movere (= to move). Either something is standing or it is moving, so a feeling can’t be an emotion and vice versa.
Feelings are body states. Some feelings trigger emotions (outbursts of feelings).
Conclusion
Using ‘emotion’ and ‘feeling’ as synonyms is not wrong if it is meant as a definition of one word in terms of the other, because definitions are free. But it is wrong from a linguistic point of view. Using them synonymously oversimplifies the language at the expense of its ability to describe the nuances of what we experience. In my article “Consciousness is Not the Same as Awareness” I analyze these two words, which also are often used synonymously.
“Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler.” (Albert Einstein)
Language is a precious tool. Those who created words a long time ago created them mindfully, encoding their wisdom. When we explore the origins of words, we decode that wisdom. My favorite website for this is David Harper’s Online Etymology Dictionary. (It’s also available as an app.)
It is not surprising that the general public’s use of language is declining. It is in the nature of all things to go downhill. This corresponds to natural decay: everything decays. The disturbing fact, however, is that most dictionaries are following this downward trend of language use — rather than preserving a valuable mental and cultural asset. For example, Merriam-Webster defines emotion as a strong feeling, which is a linguistic absurdity.
Application
The essence of life is to prevent decay, ie to remain what it is. (The word life has the Proto-Indoeuropean root *leip- (= to stick, adhere) and therefore means just that.) Life must make an effort to stay alive. To do so, it needs energy, which it derives from the food we consume.
As humans, we have a physical and a mental life. Therefore, we need to nourish ourselves physically and mentally. As children, we did that and grew physically and mentally at an enormous pace — and had a lot of fun. In our culture, that more or less stops when we grow up. But, when you stop growing, you decay — both physically and mentally.
The way you use language not only determines the quality of your communication, but is also an expression of your way of thinking. Precision and clarity of language go hand in hand with precision and clarity of thought. Cultivating the use of language, therefore, means cultivating the way you think and thus cultivating your mind. In my experience, etymological research is an excellent means for mental growth. I started doing it 35 years ago, and it has sharpened my thinking and communication enormously. Also, exploring words is an excellent exercise that prepares for self-exploration. And last but not least, it is truly amazing what a valuable source of knowledge our language is — and etymological research lets you discover this knowledge.
Below are some exercises to help you get started.
Exercise 1: Read texts by recognized scholars from a century ago, such as Albert Einstein. Marvel at how carefully they chose words and how beautifully they phrased them.
Exercise 2: Familiarize yourself with David Harper’s Online Etymology Dictionary by researching a few words that come to mind.
Exercise 3: Observe yourself as you speak and write. Choose keywords and explain what they mean to you. Then research their etymological origins.
Further (supplemental) reading:
Article “Consciousness is Not the Same as Awareness”
Book: “Being Free : Get Out of the Box — The Method with 99 Exercises”
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