The emotions produce chemicals or do chemicals produce emotions?

If emotions are just chemicals, how is it that people can learn to control their emotions at will? Shouldn't they be addicted to the emotions? Also, are you sure emotions ARE chemicals or are chemicals being pumped through the brain the response to non-physical EMOTION.

Is calmness and peacefulness an emotion? Is that an emotion pumped through the brain by chemicals? Or is Peace the lack of emotion? And the other emotions are only chemicals?

The emotion produces chemicals. If the chemical was introduced somehow into a neutral brain, it would produce the emotion. It works both ways.

It's simple, really. Some people derive energy from their environment, others derive energy from within. As for the question, I think it works both ways. Emotions can be, to an extent, controlled and manipulated. For example, if you jump forward and yell, "YES!!!!," right now, I guarantee you'll feel more positive, though perhaps a bit stupid as well depending on your location and who's around you. On the other hand, chemicals can have a direct impact on the emotions of the "emotionally ignorant;" in the same way that people who have not trained themselves in emotional mastery will remain in an emotionally reactive state (i.e. emotions easily manipulated by energy of environment, other people, weather, etc "Emotional Vampires," if you will), they will be easily manipulated by chemicals derived from pills and food.

Never underestimate the power of the mind in governing the body.

reply to post by arpgme


Good post. It goes both ways. Usually an external stimulus causes the body to produce certain chemicals in order for the body to compensate for the stimulus.

Sometimes the stimulus is internal such as during panic attacks. During panic disorders the body perceives an imaginary stimulus, mind created, which causes chemicals to be produced which causes other stimulus in the body and the creation of yet more chemicals.

The body is a wonderfully complex chemical laboratory. Gotta love it.

Emotions are controlled by physical discipline, will, perspective. No easy answers.
2nd

you've touched on a good point. i think this reality is a very complex set of legos. it's incredible that we can even experience something like emotions.

i think our emotions we feel are a mockup of what we will experience once we leave the "physical" realm. our brains rely on chemical processes to give us sensations which belie the limitations of our bodies.

bottom line: the emotions we experience are a shoddy chemical imitation of what is to come. it's shoddy in the sense that it doesn't do justice to the true love and peace we will experience in the next life.

reply to post by mikelkhall


So from this perspective, there is no soul/spirit, these are just physical things happening? The images of the mind can still cause physical reactions and the imagination is also physical? The thoughts and the emotions are physical?

reply to post by arpgme


WTF.....where the hell did that come from. How did we go from talking about chemical emotions to the soul/spirit. Maybe you posted your answer in the wrong post. Sheesh.

Nobody said there was gonna be a pop quiz.
2nd

I had to back out and then come back in to make sure I was still in science and technology. For a minute there I thought I took a detour to the outer limits or the religious section.

something happens to you, an impression is made, then chemicals are released and you experience the emotion

it is at this time I would like to introduce you to a book I began to read a couple days ago.

www.scribd.com...

how our minds run on 2 different systems. emotion is discussed in great detail, better then I could hope to explain it to you.

reply to post by arpgme


I guess you never did acid or mushrooms then the chemical produces emotions and the emotions intensify the chemical .

Both sort of. The amygdala which is located deep inside your temporal lobe along with the hippocampus help with emotions, and the control of emotions. You will often hear of people who talk about getting an adrenaline rush from doing something.
It really isn't the adrenaline so much as the dopamine dump into the system immediately afterwards that is actually sort of addictive. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, like serotonin and norepinepherine. Say you ride a roller coaster. Or jump off of a cliff with just a parachute....like base jumping.
You will get the adrenaline pumping up your system really fast as the event occurs. But when it's over. Especially if you've survived and are intact, the neurotransmitters which are released into the system as you recover from the excess pump up are serotonin and dopamine. Dopamine can indeed make these activities sort of addictive. That OMFG I just did that and survived. Now I wanna...or gotta do it again! Type of feeling!

That's a very simple watered down version of an answer to your question. If you'd like I can get more technical, but then those words get harder to spell!

I would love to see some unbiased research on this. My opinion is that chemical activity is in response to thoughts and emotions but I'm sure Pharma sees it differently.