Feelings Vs Emotions

Many people use the terms “feeling” and “emotion” as synonyms, but they are not interchangeable. While they have similar elements, there is a marked difference between feelings and emotions.

Feelings: Both emotional experiences and physical sensations — such as hunger or pain — bring about feelings, according to Psychology Today, Feelings are a conscious experience, although not every conscious experience, such as seeing or believing is a feeling. I will explain this properly in my next blog.

Emotions: According to Psychology Today, an emotion “can only ever be felt…through the emotional experiences it gives rise to, even though it might be discovered through its associated thoughts, beliefs, desires, and actions.” Emotions are not conscious but instead, manifest in the unconscious mind. These emotions can be brought to the surface of the conscious state through extended psychotherapy.

For example; Imagine you just won the lottery. The rush of excitement and joy you feel is emotion, while the interpretation and meaning you give that emotion, such as having grateful or relieved avidity, is the feeling. Emotions are the raw physiological responses, while feelings are the subjective experiences that arise from those emotions.

Why does the difference between emotions and feelings matter?

Our emotions are like the key and engine of a car; our feelings are the car frame. You can tune up your car without its key or skip over the engine, right? The same goes for our emotions, which can give us a more accurate diagnosis of how we’re doing at the moment.

A fundamental difference between feelings and emotions is that feelings are experienced consciously, while emotions manifest either consciously or subconsciously. Some people may spend years, or even a lifetime, not understanding the depths of their emotions.

Emotions and feelings are not the same thing, despite people using the words interchangeably.

emotions are real-time data sparked by sensations in the body. Feelings can be more biased, and altered by mental misconception.