What is the strongest emotion and why?

so we define emotion as something that specifically produces behaviours and increases the activity of an organism?

we wouldn't say something that is experienced but produces no behaviours or inhibits behaviours is not an emotion? or is it just that we are defining "powerful" as an increase in novel behaviour?

interesting name change...

to defeat him, I must become him...

How did you get your name changed? I thought only Raz could do that, and he's vanished.

I submitted for it months ago, so long I had figured it wasn't going to happen. I used the thread for it though /shrug

Originally posted by Oliver North
so we define emotion as something that specifically produces behaviours and increases the activity of an organism?

we wouldn't say something that is experienced but produces no behaviours or inhibits behaviours is not an emotion? or is it just that we are defining "powerful" as an increase in novel behaviour?

I wouldn't say it has to increase activity or change behavior. Fear could make someone permanently catatonic or induce death under the right circumstances. I'd say it has a measurable/observable effect of some sort, even an effect that has to be measured over time.

Originally posted by Ascendancy
I wouldn't say it has to increase activity or change behavior. Fear could make someone permanently catatonic or induce death under the right circumstances. I'd say it has a measurable/observable effect of some sort, even an effect that has to be measured over time.

So then an emotion is anything that produces a measurable effect in an organism? This is sort of my point, the way we define what the question is asking gives us the answer, it has nothing to do with emotions at all.

Okay, an observable psychological reaction that is accompanied by physiological changes and changes in behavior, how is that? Obviously something that is induced by drugs/chemical stimuli wouldn't count unless it causes one of the identifiable emotions.

Originally posted by Ascendancy
Okay, an observable psychological reaction that is accompanied by physiological changes and changes in behavior, how is that? Obviously something that is induced by drugs/chemical stimuli wouldn't count unless it causes one of the identifiable emotions.

using that definition, I am only ever experiencing an emotion the moment I first start experiencing it and change my behaviour.

Because I have had no major physiological, psychological or behavioural changes in the past few minutes, you would suggest I am experiencing no emotions.

Also, "identifiable emotions" is the entirely problematic term we are talking about in the first place.

The air really gets sucked out of a good debate when we get bogged down in what are basically trivial matters. We're not psych majors working on a research paper or thesis so why not keep this simple and enjoy the possibilities? I don't want to have to deliniate every little detail.

Fear. When fear takes over, our ability to think and reason becomes either impaired or impossible.

Do people not become completely irrational when in love as well, and over the long-term? People empty out their savings for people that they love, make decisions contrary to everything that they've been working for their entire lives, let themselves be treated they otherwise wouldn't. Granted, I'm speaking to the case of the person in question most likely being unhealthy emotionally to begin with, but love can cause long-term impairment of reason.

Long term love as in committed love? I think by that point irrationality will only persist in irrational people, not as a symptom of the emotion.

Originally posted by Ascendancy
The air really gets sucked out of a good debate when we get bogged down in what are basically trivial matters. We're not psych majors working on a research paper or thesis so why not keep this simple and enjoy the possibilities? I don't want to have to deliniate every little detail.

lol, wut?

ok, except you felt like you could talk with authority about Libet in the free will thread or about quantum phenomenon in that and the infinite universe thread...

so ya, high school level it is.

Originally posted by Ascendancy
The air really gets sucked out of a good debate when we get bogged down in what are basically trivial matters.

How can you understand the answer if you do not understand the question?

Fear is the strongest emotion.

If a someone was coming to kill you you would be scard as phuck. You would probably try anything desperate to stop him/get away.

Originally posted by Storm
Fear. When fear takes over, our ability to think and reason becomes either impaired or impossible.

Love nor hate can make anyone do this.

Originally posted by Oliver North
lol, wut?

ok, except you felt like you could talk with authority about Libet in the free will thread or about quantum phenomenon in that and the infinite universe thread...

so ya, high school level it is.

Neither one of those devolved into semantic games that are basically equivalent to a child following every answer to his question with "why?" If you like I can be silly though and just claim that I'm a brain in a jar being egged on by some watcher at a terminal or that a demon is manipulating all that I'm experiencing or something else that equally derails the discussion. Whatever works, let me know. Like I said elsewhere you don't seem so much interested in debate as you are in either telling everyone else "I'm right and you'd better agree with me" or in this case nitpicking for the sake of doing so.

Originally posted by Ascendancy
Neither one of those devolved into semantic games that are basically equivalent to a child following every answer to his question with "why?" If you like I can be silly though and just claim that I'm a brain in a jar being egged on by some watcher at a terminal or that a demon is manipulating all that I'm experiencing or something else that equally derails the discussion. Whatever works, let me know. Like I said elsewhere you don't seem so much interested in debate as you are in either telling everyone else "I'm right and you'd better agree with me" or in this case nitpicking for the sake of doing so.

/sigh

I see your point now, it is inappropriate for me to point out that, in terms of this thread, emotion is a difficult term to define.

It has nothing to do with your inability to define it, or with the fact that your definitions have always included things that nobody thinks are an emotion or failed to include things everyone would agree are emotions.

nitpicking? you're right, you aren't a psych major...

War Lord Oliver North