Unpacking the Connection Between Emotions and the Brain

Everything you experience in your life is all processed in your brain. Simple concept, yet it's wild to think about when you really stop and consider it. Every thought, feeling, and sensation that you experience is a result of complex neural activity in your brain. It's amazing to think that your brain is able to take in information from the outside world through your senses and use that information to create your entire experience of reality. From the way you see colors to the way you feel emotions, it's all happening in your brain. It's fascinating to consider just how much of our lives is shaped by this incredible organ in our heads.

And this process affects your body in different ways. Research has shown that emotions can be associated with differently bodily sensations, including changes in temperature. Colors can be perceived differently for each person, for example, colors feel brighter or dimmer depending on your emotional state. These studies are done using a computer program, they also map out how different parts of the body might feel during certain emotions. Pretty neat. This may be seen by using brain imaging techniques, like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

fMRI works by measuring changes in blood flow and oxygen levels in different parts of the brain. But it's not just a matter of looking at colors on a screen- researchers have to use some pretty complex analyses to figure out what's going on in there. Specifically, they look for patterns of activity that are associated with different mental processes and emotions, like how your brain might light up differently when you're feeling nervous versus when you're feeling happy or excited. It's like trying to decode the secret language of our brains.

It's important to keep in mind that the relationship between emotions and color perception is complex and we don't fully understand it yet. While these studies give us some significant insight into how our brains process emotions, there's still much more we need to learn.

"Be careful who surrounds you, emotion is cognitively contagious."

-William Barela Costa

Source: BrainLatam. (2021, February 3). The Neuroscience of Languages Through the Body: Body & Emotion. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.brainlatam.com/blog/the-neuroscience-of-languages-through-the-body-body-emotion-550 (https://www.brainlatam.com/blog/the-neuroscience-of-languages-through-the-body-body-emotion-550)