The Psychology of Emotion

In the early 1900s two men pioneered research into the true nature of emotion and its relationship to the physical body, symptoms and illness and came up with a number of definitive conclusions. Those men were Carl Lange and William James. These two men's work forms the foundation of modern emotional psychology.

Carl Lange

William James

The most important conclusion they came to forms the foundation for our understanding of how emotions are created, and what incredible physical impact thoughts can have on our bodies and health.

Their research concluded that an external catalyst, say a wild bear, is detected by your sensory organs and the body reacts with physical changes (anxiety symptoms) WITHOUT any conscious thoughts or emotions; in other words, the emotion of fear we experience during the anxiety response is physical and not emotional.

To demonstrate what I mean by this, next time you feel anxious, strip away all of the physical sensations you experience and you will find that nothing is left… the physical sensations ARE your experience of emotion!