Emotional reasoning: Feelings are not Facts

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"I'm so anxious on this dinner date, it must be my partner thinks I'm ugly."

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"I'm really excited about this new career path, so it's definitely the right choice for me."

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"I'm really angry about this policy proposal, so it must be a terrible idea."

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Emotional reasoning

When you have a feeling, introspect and ask yourself: How many different reasons can I think of for me to feel this way? Is my conclusion accurate or just one of the many possibilities?

Why do we reason emotionally?

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Why reduce emotional reasoning

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Emotional reasoning: Feelings are not Facts

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"I'm so anxious on this dinner date, it must be my partner thinks I'm ugly."

Here, the feeling of anxiety is considered a fact, and then you conclude why it must be true with a superficial reason that you are ugly.

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"I'm really excited about this new career path, so it's definitely the right choice for me."

Your excitement doesn't prove that the career is right, it is just the excitement and motivation of starting something you like.

2

"I'm really angry about this policy proposal, so it must be a terrible idea."

Your strong negative emotions are not sufficient to judge the quality of a policy, without critically evaluating its potential benefits or drawbacks.

3

Emotional reasoning

Feeling = Fact

Rational reasoning

Feeling =/= Fact

When you have a feeling, introspect and ask yourself: How many different reasons can I think of for me to feel this way? Is my conclusion accurate or just one of the many possibilities?

Why do we reason emotionally?

Why reduce emotional reasoning

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