EMOTION vs. COGNITION: DIFFERENCES & INFLUENCES Psychology

Emotion and cognition are integral aspects of the human condition. The average person, when asked, is quite likely to have a working definition and knowledge of emotions. Emotions are almost constant within human beings. Cognition may not be so easy to understand or be easy for define for the average person. Emotions can also be called feelings; there are affective aspects to emotions as well as biological, physical, and/or physiological aspects to emotion. Various feelings or emotions correspond to neurochemicals released in the brain due to particular stimuli. Such chemicals include dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenalin. Cognition refers strictly to mental processes that include different stages of attention, memory, problem solving, decision-making, computation, and language. Cognition and emotions can be conscious and unconscious. Certainly people use their cognitive skills in their waking lives, but psychological research shows that some of these functions are active during sleep. The pattern applies to emotions. People absolutely experience emotion during waking states, and sometimes emotions can be just as vivid or more vivid during sleep. Consider the feelings one has when awakening from a nightmare....

Though asleep, such an experience often leaves people feeling afraid, anxious, or otherwise. The paper will discuss more of the differences between emotion and cognition while additionally acknowledging and demonstrating that the two influence each other.
Cognition, on its most basic level, is thinking. When people demonstrate thought, they demonstrate cognition, cognitive abilities, and cognitive activities. Cognition comes naturally, but requires development and nurturing. Cognition also takes the form of behaviors -- behaviors that use and strengthen cognition. Many of us participate in cognitive behaviors even if we are unaware they are referred to as such. Such activities include anything that requires a sequence or series of steps such as following a recipe. It mostly refers to thinking or processes that are involved when achieving a task. The influence of cognition upon emotion is unique to every individual, but what is universal is that there is an influence. Cognition can trigger emotions; students who have too much homework may feel exhausted or worried about finishing it all. Lack and/or abundance of cognition may induce emotional reactions as well, as with people with mental health disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. There are some autists who…