There’s a pervasive myth—particularly in the tech industry—that listening to our rational, logic-oriented left brain is superior to acting in response to fluctuating emotions.

Life might be simpler if this were the case.

Emotions are messy, and in some circumstances they can cloud our judgment.

Even the neuroscientists studying them have struggled to understand how they work.

Which is why, to this day, there is still no scientific consensus on a precise definition of what an emotion actually is.

Now, here’s something fascinating:

Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett and her peers have shown that emotions actually arise in the body purely as sensations.

And then the insula, which is a portion of our brain’s cerebral cortex, effectively checks this sensation against the perceived context and turns it into meaning.

In other words, we are the ones who assign meaning to our emotions—because inherently, they don’t have one.

But Can We Just Be “Rational”?

Contrary to popular belief, research in recent decades has shown that emotions are a crucial component of sound decision-making.

In fact, without our “irrational” emotions we would be unable to make even basic day-to-day choices.

Famed neuroscientist Antonio Damasio was one of the first to figure this out in the late twentieth century.

He studied a patient with a tumor that compressed the frontal lobe tissue in his brain and had to be removed.

In the months following, the patient, Elliot—who previously had a good corporate job—saw his life fall apart.

Even though his IQ was high and his language and mathematical abilities seemed intact, his emotional capacity had been severely limited to the extent that he was unable to make basic decisions, like prioritization of tasks and scheduling.

This and other similar cases became the foundation for Damasio’s so-called “somatic marker” hypothesis.

According to this hypothesis, emotions register in the body through phenomena like:

• A racing heart
• A frowning forehead
• Butterflies in the stomach

These sensations help us consciously and subconsciously filter data sets of information—and then make choices based on what we think will allow us to feel good in the future.

Without these “somatic markers,” even the most basic decisions can be overwhelming.

But still, many of us try to suppress our emotions and “just act rationally”—which inevitably creates other problems.

The Problem With Trying To “Just Be Rational”

In recent years, research has also shown that emotions are transmitted from the brain to the body and vice versa.

But in my work as a somatic and breathwork practitioner, I've seen this flow get impeded by any number of psychological and physiological defenses, such that the experience remains in the realm of the mind.

This is critical, because if emotion is confined to a person’s brain alone, our feelings get trapped.

In coaching we refer to this experience as “emotional looping”—when someone gets stuck in the story of what happened and resist dropping down below the neck and into the often uncomfortable sensations that allow the feelings to move and escape the cycle of resistance.

This is a problem because if we’re resisting (consciously or unconsciously) a certain emotional experience, then we’ll make intentional choices to avoid feeling that way.

And that usually leads to making poor long-term choices.

Let’s use a founder who tends to avoid confrontation as an example.

• Because they’re afraid to deliver critical feedback, they’ll likely become resentful of their colleagues. After all, their frustration has to go somewhere, so it gets trapped internally and festers.
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• Or, if they’re avoiding the grief of letting go of an employee, their business may suffer long-term consequences. They may have to eventually let go of many more people as a result of delaying the original layoff.

This is why my students and coaching clients who can escape emotional story loops have an easier time making important decisions.

They feel, notice, and embrace the emotional sensations in their bodies (instead of resisting them).

And as a result, their feelings don’t “get in the way” of their judgement.

Quite the opposite: they guide the way.

Today’s Protocol: Emotional Mapping

To gain more awareness of your emotions and how they’re shaping your decisions, I recommend cultivating your perception of your interoceptive senses—the conscious and unconscious signals to your brain of what’s happening in your body.

That will make it easier for you to identify the physical sensations associated with your emotional experience.

Below is a simple journaling practice to get you started.

• Step 1: Choose one emotion to explore, ideally one that you have historically resisted feeling or have judged in others.
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• Step 2: Reflect on any thought loops or beliefs that arise alongside this emotion. Does it crosswire with another feeling? For example, sometimes shame crosswires with anger, or fear crosswires with joy. Write about your relationship with this emotion and what useful information it may have to give you that you’ve been ignoring.
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• Step 3: Lastly, write down some physical sensations that arise when you feel this emotion in your body. Describe as much sensory detail as you can. For example, is the sensation hot or cold? Sharp or dull? Expansive or contracting? Notice how the sensations shift as you bring your attention to them.

And that’s it for today!

I hope this email gives you a new perspective on the role our emotions actually play in our decision-making process—and why it’s so important to make sure we’re actually feeling them in our body.

Now if you’d like to learn more about the neuroscience of emotions as well as other actionable protocols for cultivating Emotional Mastery, I highly recommend checking out my flagship training, Nervous System Mastery (NSM).​

Over the past 2 years, 800+ founders, creatives, and high-performers have taken it—and it’s radically changed many of their lives.

Hope to see you inside!

Jonny