Replying to Why Do People Relate The Feelings With Heart Instead Of Brain?

Oh! so you are a doctor in the making,I thought you were already one, however, I wish you loads of luck for going through this "harsh" phase smoothly.

LOL! that was funny:

I am not a Doctor YET:

I have still to go through the harsh studies for 3 more years and then you can call me a doctor...

I hope I complete it while I am still alive........

Hmmmm, that is an enlightening analysis, good to know that the world would have people like you to support dedicated research in the medical field, we really need that you know, for there have so many cases which have made people lose trust on the doctors. I hope that is regained. Good luck.

I guess I misunderstood your previous post....... my bad!

By the way one thing I want to add here is that all of the effects of emotions on different parts of body are mediated by the brain in such a way that the result is more likely to be beneficial than harmful. For instance, when you see something fearful, the brain activates the sympathetic part of autonomic nervous system. As a result, the body is prepared for the "Fight or Flight" response. The changes in the body because of this sympathetic stimulation include increase of blood pressure (to provide extra nutrients to various organs of body), increase in diameter of trachea and bronchi (so that increased amount of air/oxygen can go into the lungs and thence to the blood), relaxation of pupils (to enhance vision), vasodilation of arteries supplying the skeletal muscles (so that your muscles can work harder) etc etc.

But the similar changes can be harmful in certain conditions for instance the same sympathetic stimulation as discussed above can be fatal for heart patients or patients with atherosclerosis.

I guess you haven't been able to get my point exactly, I said that emotions have an effect on the heart, brain is the cause of that effect,not the effect itself, I totally understand when you state about the functions of the brain, but the article that I linked was about how emotions that are generated or whatever technical term for that, by the brain, and they cause some effect on the heart which at times does get noticeable, moreover the topic was about how emotions can be related to the heart, so are effects not to be taken as something to be related?

@ritu, I just gave a superficial look to the article you linked to ( I couldn't give it much time::: sorry for that).. But based on my studies as a medical student, I can tell you one simple thing. All emotions, no matter what kind, are related directly to your brain. The effects of emotions on other sytems/organs of body are secondary effects produced because of activation/inhibition of some parts of brain and release/cessation to release of certain hormones (which is also controlled by brain).

So the end result is that all effects produced by emotional stimulation are because of your brain. For example, the increase in heart beat at times of stress isn't because stress directly causes the heart to beat faster. It is because the stress causes the brain to enhance the activity of sympathetic part of autonomic nervous system and one of the many effects of this increased activity is tachcardia (faster heart beat).

I hope you got my point.

The point that you bring to focus is a right one, however what I feel is that there is a relation between emotions and the heart, it is the effect that emotions can have on the heart. Some of the effects may be instantaneous, others take time to influence the proper functioning of the heart. Just found this information, felt like sharing with you.

Have you ever found someone who makes your heart beat faster when you look in their eyes? or even when they walk in to the room?

In my opinion I think through history this increase in heart rate along with a shortness of breathe from that feeling you get in the middle of your chest is why the heart is so commonly associated with romance.

heart to emotion as the mind to wisdom

in my opinion, the heart has been used in relation to emotion way before human really discover or realize the brain is the main center of feeling and control center of the whole body's nervous system...

so in history, humans define the heart as the source and controller of blood circulation which distributes warmth to the rest of the body hence warmth comes or felt from the heart...

In my opinion, this is because hearts usually contain a connotation resembling love, warmth, etc. so people will refer feelings to the heart. Also, when people claim that they are heartbroken, they feel a pain on their chest somewhere near their heart. Nowadays, if you say, "My mind is feeling... (this or that)", it will not sound right. I am pretty sure that most people are capable of correcting themselves but the word, heart, is more preferable over the word, mind, when deciding on which object to relate feelings to.

Good explanation. People have a knack of associating things eg, with Santa Clause being fat, in a red suit and climbs down chimneys but that whole idea was made up by Coke Cola for a TV adverts years ago. Since then everyone has stuck with and used that 'image' for the big guy.

I guess its the same thing here. Like Illustrious said, people resemble the heart with love, pain etc.