Why We Act Emotionally: Revealing the Inner Workings of Our Actions - by Maycon Vinícius

    You already fight against someone, did something irrational for love, or acted in a determined situtation and after stay thinking "Why the hell i did it???". If your answer was wes, problably you acted because the effect of emotion. But, why it happens? 

    First, we have to go back to the past. When we were hunters and collectors, and needed act quickly to survive, our limbic system, which control our emotions, was crucial. If our ancestors saw a predator, for example, felt fear made us didn´t aproximate, the hormones derived from it pump blood to the legs, facilitating the process of escape, and kept us in alert.. Therfore, the action of system have to be fast.

 

LIMBIC SYSTEM

    Love and anger are two powerful and contrasting emotions that have shaped human interactions throughout history too. The love that enabled Homo sapiens to organize into large groups, take care of their families, and procreate. Anger, in turn, was essential in a situation where we were attacked. The feeling of anger and the hormones released with it cause our blood to concentrate in our hands, so that we can be more agile and stronger, helping in hunted.

    Ok, ok. But how does this answer the initial question? Now that we've set the stage for the importance of feelings, let's explain why we often act irrationally. It's as if we have two brains: the rational one, and the emotional one. The second, in turn, because it acts extremely fast due to our past, always takes control of our entire system first. Only after the emotional brain finishes its 'service', the rational one come into play. That's why we always act emotionally first and then think afterward, rationally, about what happened.