Intellect verus emotion

[Dave Nicholson]

Strong emotions are a well known cause of irrational thinking which is why cognitive distortions (which often result in frequent misunderstandings and incorrect interpretations) are very common in people diagnosed with mental health disorders.

If you watch debates, you'll often notice that people who are emotionally mature (they remain calm and in good control of their emotions regardless of what happens) tend to be more intelligent, think logically, and present the best arguments. People who are emotionally immature (highly sensitive, frequently offended, easily triggered, prone to tantrums/meltdowns, who may need to retreat to safe spaces when people disagree with them or when they don't get what they want) tend to present the most irrational arguments based on their emotions with little or no intellectual understanding.

To sum it up, being calmer/less affected by distressing emotions allows you to think more clearly and intellectually. I don't have a link but I remember reading that some children with a below average IQ who suffered from an emotional disturbance saw their IQ increase to well above average (I think their IQ went from 80 to 130) after overcoming their emotional problems.

This makes perfect sense. Good post.

 

[Matthias]

This is *not* intended to alarm anyone, I'm being factual. I have a strong aversion to game playing, but it can be very useful in certain circumstances.

I'm thinking far more logically now. Good.

Lust is something I have no need for any more, it's a useless distraction. I've passed on my genes. I look forward to my testosterone declining to an extent, which will support this even further.

Anger is something I want to keep, but use sensibly; It's useful for self-protection, and for the protection of others. Not for physical reasons, if you understand me, I am strongly averse to that aspect.

Fear is another emotion which is useful at times, for self-protection. I am in control of this completely now and will embrace it only when required.

Love is a critical emotion, imo. It's what makes us human and is strongly linked to empathy. We know the type who have zero empathy and the harm they inflict. I have direct experience in my personal life, with others I am strongly protective of.

Empathy is very acute in me. I have this with *everyone*, with the exception of those who have none. In the past, this has caused me anguish. Anguish has all but disappeared. Calmness is key.

Empathy, and love are my top priorities.

I used to think there were good/positive emotions and bad/negative emotions. One thing I've learned is that all emotions are beneficial when experienced at an appropriate time and dealt with appropriately. For the same reasons you mentioned, I would never want to become incapable of experiencing anger, fear, or any other emotion.

 

[Dave Nicholson]

I used to think there were good/positive emotions and bad/negative emotions. One thing I've learned is that all emotions are beneficial when experienced at an appropriate time and dealt with appropriately. For the same reasons you mentioned, I would never want to become incapable of experiencing anger, fear, or any other emotion.

Same with me, but it's useful to also control them, minimising them when your sharpest intellect is required.

 

[Streetwise]

This is *not* intended to alarm anyone, I'm being factual. I have a strong aversion to game playing, but it can be very useful in certain circumstances.

I'm thinking far more logically now. Good.

Lust is something I have no need for any more, it's a useless distraction. I've passed on my genes. I look forward to my testosterone declining to an extent, which will support this even further.

Anger is something I want to keep, but use sensibly; It's useful for self-protection, and for the protection of others. Not for physical reasons, if you understand me, I am strongly averse to that aspect.

Fear is another emotion which is useful at times, for self-protection. I am in control of this completely now and will embrace it only when required.

Love is a critical emotion, imo. It's what makes us human and is strongly linked to empathy. We know the type who have zero empathy and the harm they inflict. I have direct experience in my personal life, with others I am strongly protective of.

Empathy is very acute in me. I have this with *everyone*, with the exception of those who have none. In the past, this has caused me anguish. Anguish has all but disappeared. Calmness is key.

Empathy, and love are my top priorities.

think about and mull over adding forgiveness ,forgiveness is purely to help you, I understood this ,about 18 years ago, I was walking up the street and a small distance away from my house and I had an extremely strong feeling!, that anger was making me extremely ill ,never had the feeling again ,but never forgot, then I found out about clinical psychology, apparently if you hold anger in the area of your chest, it's where most people hold it ,you can get breast cancer, as the anger, turns into cancer, via cortisol ,I was astounded ,when I heard this, I thought breast cancer, was just passed down to women.

 

[Dave Nicholson]

think about and mull over adding forgiveness ,forgiveness is purely to help you, I understood this ,about 18 years ago, I was walking up the street and a small distance away from my house and I had an extremely strong feeling!, that anger was making me extremely ill ,never had the feeling again ,but never forgot, then I found out about clinical psychology, apparently if you hold anger in the area of your chest, it's where most people hold it ,you can get breast cancer, as the anger, turns into cancer, via cortisol ,I was astounded ,when I heard this, I thought breast cancer, was just passed down to women.

I already have that ability, sometimes it goes against me. All things in balance, I guess.

 

[Streetwise]

I already have that ability, sometimes it goes against me. All things in balance, I guess.

it's almost like practicing just think of anybody or anything you haven't forgiven and just say you forgive them , you don't necessarily have to forget or should forget,forgiveness feels better when you've forgotten.

 

[Dave Nicholson]

it's almost like practicing just think of anybody or anything you haven't forgiven and just say you forgive them , you don't necessarily have to forget or should forget,forgiveness feels better when you've forgotten.

I believe now that I can forgive most things. I have my lines though, in regards to bad behaviour, my lines in the sand. And if I deem someone to have crossed those lines, and they are important enough to catch my interest, I may have a strong motivation to see that justice plays out. That is *not* a euphamism for anything physical, I am very strongly disinclined to go down that route. I am at heart a peaceful person.

 

[Matthias]

think about and mull over adding forgiveness ,forgiveness is purely to help you, I understood this ,about 18 years ago, I was walking up the street and a small distance away from my house and I had an extremely strong feeling!, that anger was making me extremely ill ,never had the feeling again ,but never forgot, then I found out about clinical psychology, apparently if you hold anger in the area of your chest, it's where most people hold it ,you can get breast cancer, as the anger, turns into cancer, via cortisol ,I was astounded ,when I heard this, I thought breast cancer, was just passed down to women.

High levels of cortisol, which is increased in response to stress, increases the risk of developing a wide variety of physical health conditions. That's because chronically elevated cortisol increases inflammation and weakens the immune system. Source: Cortisol: What It Is, Function, Symptoms & Levels

A weaker immune system means cancer spreads faster, viruses replicate more, and your body is less able to fight bacteria and other harmful pathogens. Chronic inflammation can cause or worsen many physical health problems.

Increased inflammation and a weaker immune system can explain why having a mental health condition is a risk factor for severe Covid-19. Source: CDC Adds Mental Health Conditions to COVID-19 Risk List