Emotions Over Logic - Oh, the Problems We Humans Have!

In theory, it would be best if our brains always focused on the logical aspects of life. But in truth, our brains are easily distracted by emotions.

Imagery is one of those magical tools of writing. Change the way you phrase a sentence, add some sights, smells, and tastes, and presto! you have yourself an emotional connector. Good, strong, descriptive imagery evokes emotions that change the way we think. Take this situation, for instance:

The car drove toward the cat, unaware that it was not moving out of the road.

versus

The ginormous truck hurtled through the night, passengers bouncing up and down as the vehicle passed over deep potholes and crevices in the road. The riders stared out the window in oblivion, considering the night's events with distaste. How had a night that was supposed to be fun gone so wrong? In the meantime, a kitty was sprawled in the road, mewling for its mother as it shivered in the cold night air. The poor animal had gotten in a fight with another cat and was now unable to walk, laying mutilated and fragile in the road. It cried out in pain and desperation as a vehicle appeared out of the dark, charging toward the helpless animal as a bull toward a red cape. There was nothing the kitty could do as the truck barreled nearer...

Which one makes you feel worse? As sadistic as that sounds, the second piece was far more moving than the first. Under which circumstance would you be more likely to help the poor creature? The second one, of course!

This situation proves that emotion can change the way you think. Most of the time it is a subconscious alteration of your comprehension of the situation. Nobody consciously thinks, Wow, that detailed description of the kitty really made me feel its pain. Now I'm going to consider helping it more than I was before. Nobody does that. Try as we might, this is something happening inside of our brains that we cannot control. There are special people in the world whom are capable of setting aside their emotions in order to be logical, but those people are few and far between. And most of them are male.

When faced with imagery that shocks us to the core, gripping our hearts, turning out stomachs inside out, and making us want to cry, we can try to remain in the logical mindset. But boy is it difficult! Imagery strikes us in our weakest part - the heart. Emotions are far more persuasive than logic, easily dragging us away from rational ground, out into the deep sea of emotions, only to be swept back onto rational ground with the tide. I believe that if imagery is intense enough to change your mindset, you should follow your heart. Not the I think I will have Oreos for dinner because that commercial was convincing aspect, but rather the I think it would be better for me to spend my time elsewhere aspect of following your heart. As human beings we are fragile, especially when it comes to emotions, but usually our hearts know what is right.