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Christin Chong, PhD's avatar

are you talking about feelings as a colloquial term for emotions, or for "somatic states" (actual visceral responses in the body to external environments and internal thoughts/emotions?) that's the other confusion at play here--it's unclear which people are referencing. it's also unclear whether happiness is a somatic state or what, depending on the individual!

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Chao Lam's avatar

hmm, my mental model is that feelings (and emotions) are some biochemical processes happening in the body (nothing supernatural). Are "somatic states" different from such biochemical processes? If emotions are not "somatic states", how are they different physiologically?

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Christin Chong, PhD's avatar

what if there are modalities that are "natural/within the body," but not within parameters that can be measured by modern scientific instruments? that's what I personally think feelings are...

some people say I feel "frustrated" etc. but technically that is a thought and not a somatic state / feeling

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Chao Lam's avatar

So wonderful to know an actual neuroscientist! 😋

Maybe "not within parameters that can be measured by modern scientific instruments" or also maybe the *pathway* of the emotion is so complex, that it unknown to modern science? That may be what I'm trying to get at... we need biological hypotheses for emotions that can be experimentally validated in order to further our understanding? Without a hypothesis or model, it's hard to know how to use modern scientific instruments to measure what

If I feel frustrated and act out by screaming, would that still be a thought or "somatic state"? (that feels philosophical!)

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Sandra Yvonne's avatar

Chao, do you act out by screaming?

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Chao Lam's avatar

yes, not proud but at times

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Sandra Yvonne's avatar

I think if it's how your body naturally responds then yes?

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Sandra Yvonne's avatar

just feel your feelings bro

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Rick Lewis's avatar

Ok well, I can only tell you that I feel dizzy in my attempt to follow you and Christin as you both work this one out with an intellectual capacity I myself do not possess. Until then, I'll take a good story (like lunch buddy) any day over a philosophical debate. And that's how I feel. : )

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Chao Lam's avatar

Sorry to have bored you 😂

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Rick Lewis's avatar

this is exactly why I became a class clown in calculus, to try and make myself feel better while I flunked the tests and people like you were getting straight A’s.

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Chao Lam's avatar

I'm enjoying learning how to clown around from you but I want to bring it to clowning around dense, abstract topics 🤡

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Rick Lewis's avatar

Yes, go for it. If it brings you joy, clown abstractly away!

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