What is the right balance between Emotion and Reason?

Many people say that emotion is the core of what we are as a person. That is true, in fact without emotions human body is simply a robot executing instructions defined by an algorithm.

It is because of the emotions that every individual has a specific set of people around him, specific set of likes, dislikes, wants, desires and goals.

Greater the intensity of emotion greater the burning desire to achieve a goal but there is always a flip side to the coin.

Emotion and reason go hand in glove only to a certain limit. Once you loose control of your emotions, your reasoning gets frightened by the lava of emotion and takes back seat to give way for emotions to take decisions.

To put it more clearly

Imagine you are riding a bike. First you have to accelerate more so that the engine gets heated up. Once your bike has obtained the necessary power(in our case “emotion”), acceleration is not the only factor for a smooth ride.

You have to control the speed accordingly by using other manuals also such as brake and clutch (reason).

Similar to riding a bike, use reason to control the amount of emotion required for a situation. So from the next time whenever you loose your temper or become too emotional, let reason take control.

Ask yourself questions such as what should I be doing in this situation? Do people really take notice of me if I become emotional(in reality nobody cares)? What are the consequences if I do so?

If all these questions don’t work out close your eyes and ask yourself “what’s the use?”.  Be honest for this question and you will be back in control

Selecting the best one

Our life’s quality depends on how we use emotions and reason.

For example, After a terrible day in office or college, you are exhausted and want to do something that has a soothing effect.

The emotion in you tells to watch TV and have a pizza waiting on the table but your reasoning part advises to drink fruit juice and take rest. (99% of the world will opt for the former and that is the reason our lives are filled with obesity).

Which is more important?

Emotions, perse, are not harmful. It can be the worst enemy or the savior of life depending on how it is used.

Daniel Goleman, author of “Emotional Intelligence” says, EQ( Emotional Quotient) is more important than IQ in success.

When comparing emotion and reason, there is nothing like the best one. Emotion and Reason should work in tandem for a smooth sail.

Simply put “Emotion is a treasure house of power like uranium or plutonium. Exploit that energy by tailoring it to your needs”

– Raviteja Visakoti