The Value of Emotion: A hot take

In today’s world, emotions are viewed negatively. The narrative states that acting based on emotion is irrational, unreasonable and inaccurate. We are told to be more rational, remove emotion from decision making and be objective. Ultimately, we are made to believe we think like a computer (Clark, 2023)!

To name a few: 

‘Blowing things out of proportion’

 ‘losing your cool’

‘letting your feelings cloud your judgment’

‘seeing red’ and ‘reacting impulsively’ 

I received some great advice this week and I just had to share it. It went something like this …Emotion adds value to our lives, they add colour… It helps us determine good from bad, the opportunities from the challenges and, ultimately, help us live according to our values. 

This got me thinking…there’s a reason why we experience emotion, whether its evolution (Lindquist et al., 2022), socialization (Root et al., 2015) or value-based (Todd, 2014), rather than viewing emotion as a hindrance? How can we use emotion to better guide our decisions and interactions….

(for more information on emotions follow this link: https://positivepsychology.com/emotion-wheel/) 

 The use of the hot and cold analogy (Ward, 2019) has helped us understand the way emotions impact our thinking patterns and processes. Hot processes involve processing information related to reward, emotion, and motivation, while cold processes involve raw cognitive and informational processing. In other words, when emotion is a part of our thinking (hot) it has enormous value. Without diving into the neuroscience of the impact emotions have (see ‘Petty & Brinol, 2015 for more), we must understand that emotions play a critical role in how we understand  and perceive a situation depending on their intensity and timing, essentially, adding context and colour to our world. Rather than disregarding emotion and ignoring them, let’s see them as a cue for what’s important. 

On a daily basis, sensations accompany our thoughts, for example, the feeling of 'knowing that you're going to know' is a familiar concept in psychology, often referred to as the feeling of knowing (James; 1890; Baars & Gage, 2010). This feeling is part of a diverse family of emotional processes known as metacognitive feelings, encompassing experiences such as the sensation of forgetting, déjà vu, insights, or the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon.

Despite their commonplace nature, these experiences offer crucial insights into the intricate relationship between emotion and cognition. Many perceive the mind as a battleground between passion and reason (Clark, 2023), where emotions hinder clear thinking. However, metacognitive feelings demonstrate the ongoing interplay between 'reason' and 'passion' within our mental processes. 

The brain functions as a prediction engine (Clark, 2023), constantly striving to make sense of our surroundings and impose certainty upon uncertainty. Emotions play a pivotal role here, as our visceral and affective responses (emotion) to judgments and decisions provide cues regarding our accuracy. These feelings serve as a model for anticipated success of our cognitive processes based on these cues. Positive metacognitive feelings like confidence emerge when processes are expected to proceed smoothly, while negative ones such as error signals potential challenges.

For example, the unpleasant feeling of forgetting makes you more invested in remembering next time. 

In our field, emotions play a significant role in educational coaching (Cox et al., 2007; Davis & Davis, 2016), due to their impact on memory and reasoning (Taylor, 2001). Understanding the importance of emotions is pivotal in effective coaching practices (Cox, 2017). Let's delve into some examples illustrating the usefulness of emotions in coaching within educational contexts (adapted from Cox, 2017):

- Emotional Turmoil's Disruptive Influence: A teacher or student may enter a coaching session in a state of emotional upheaval, which can disrupt previously organized thoughts and behaviors.

- Intrusion of Personal Feelings: Emotions stemming from events in the client's life may intrude upon their focus on goals during coaching sessions, persisting over time and overriding other plans.

- Sensitivity to Environmental Cues: Seemingly insignificant details such as the tone of the coach's voice, facial expressions, or environmental elements can significantly influence the teacher or student's response and engagement.

- Impact of Coach's Emotional Expressions: Expressions of emotion by the coach, whether through smiling, laughter, or even displaying negative emotions, can profoundly affect the working relationship with the client, enhancing rapport and mutual understanding.

- Intuitive Insights: Coaches may experience strong intuitive feelings indicating that something in the coaching process is amiss, even in the absence of rational indications, highlighting the role of intuition and emotional intelligence in guiding coaching interactions.

Drawing from the examples provided, emotions exert three primary impacts on coaching relationships and sessions: firstly, one perspective views emotions as indicators of underlying client issues that require additional intervention from the coach. In this view, it is essential to manage or shape emotions to address the underlying problems effectively. Secondly, emotions are normal and inevitable, these are unavoidable aspects of the coaching process. While emotions warrant attention for understanding, they are perceived as no different from other behavioral phenomena. Consequently, there may be less emphasis on controlling emotions. Lastly, emotions are signs of progress. Emotions are positive indicators of significant developments within the coaching process. Here, the coach facilitates exploration, staying within the emotion to allow full expression (Cox, 2017; Bachkirova & Cox, 2007).

So, how can we be better with emotions? 

Emotional regulation is a term that is bounced around (Mayer et al., 2008), but it’s a confusing term with many uses. As emotions are tied to our values and beliefs, they sometimes need regulating (Pizarro, 2000). To help put a definition to things, Gross, Richards and John (2006) explain: 

‘Successful emotion regulation is a prerequisite for adaptive functioning: to get along with others we must be able to regulate which emotions we have and how we experience and express these emotions’ (p. 2).’ 

(as I’m writing this from a congested university library ahead of summer exams) Let’s think about some quick tips for emotional regulation, to help best embrace emotions rather than kick them down the road. There’s 4 ways we can use emotional regulation strategies (Gross, 1998; Ashkanasy, 2003): 

1. Externally: By distancing ourselves from the situation, regaining balance between hot and cold.

2. Internally: Through cognitive regulation, do we have enough or too much  information that alters how we perceive the situation. 

4. Externally: We can modify our response to the situation, like choosing to ignore someone instead of reacting aggressively.

3. Internally: By responding differently to the emotional trigger, such as taking a break to calm down. Remember: we don’t have to act emotionally - just understand them!

There is more on this to come, stay tuned! On the face of it, these seem so simple, but how often do we use them ourselves? 

In true coaching style, I want to leave you with some questions for reflection: 

• Have you underplayed or ignored your emotions recently? 

• How might your emotions improve your understanding of a situation moving forward? 

• And , after reading this, what strategies can you use to better your relationship with your emotions? 

References: 

Pizarro, D. (2000). Nothing more than feelings? The role of emotions in moral judgment. Journal for the theory of social behaviour, 30(4), 355-375.

Mayer, J. D., Roberts, R. D., & Barsade, S. G. (2008). Human abilities: Emotional intelligence. Annu. Rev. Psychol., 59, 507-536.

Gross, J. J., Richards, J. M., & John, O. P. (2006). Emotion regulation in everyday life.

Ashkanasy, N. M. (2003). Emotions in organizations: A multi-level perspective. In Multi-level issues in organizational behavior and strategy (pp. 9-54). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Gross, J. J. (1998). Antecedent-and response-focused emotion regulation: divergent consequences for experience, expression, and physiology. Journal of personality and social psychology, 74(1), 224.

Davis, P. A., & Davis, L. (2016). Emotions and emotion regulation in coaching. The psychology of effective coaching and management, 285-306.

Cox, E., & Bachkirova, T. (2007). Coaching with emotion: How coaches deal with difficult emotional situations. International Coaching Psychology Review, 2(2), 178-189.

Ward, J. (2019). The student's guide to cognitive neuroscience. Routledge.

Baars, B. J., & Gage, N. M. (2010). Cognition, brain, and consciousness: Introduction to cognitive neuroscience. Academic Press.

Clark, A. (2023). The experience machine: how our minds predict and shape reality. Pantheon.

Lindquist, K. A., Jackson, J. C., Leshin, J., Satpute, A. B., & Gendron, M. (2022). The cultural evolution of emotion. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1(11), 669-681.

Root, A. E., Byrne, R., & Watson, S. M. (2015). The regulation of fear: The contribution of inhibition and emotion socialisation. Early Child Development and Care, 185(4), 647-657.

Todd, C. (2014). Emotion and value. Philosophy Compass, 9(10), 702-712.

R. E., & Briñol, P. (2015). Emotion and persuasion: Cognitive and meta-cognitive processes impact attitudes. Cognition and Emotion, 29(1), 1-26