Have you ever wanted to make a decision, but didn’t know which to follow, your heart or your mind? That feeling of not knowing what to choose that can make our mind feel so divided. However, there is a relationship between emotions and logic. What is this relationship between those two and how do they affect our decisions? The emotional part refers to our feelings, love, fear and anger. While logic refers to the more reasonable way of thinking. When logic and emotion cooperate, they can help us find the most valuable and rational solution.  

The brain interprets what’s going on around us and generates emotions based on our experiences and values. It activates the way we feel and interact. All our decisions are affected in some way by this process. Emotions are the first that jump in when a decision must be made; it’s the language of the unconscious mind. Different emotions effect our decisions in different ways. If we are sad, we become indifferent and neglect things and can close up within ourselves. When we are angry, it can make us rush the decision-making, just like excitement, which usually makes quick decisions not considering other side-effects of it. Lastly, when we feel afraid our choices may be clouded by doubt and caution, and it may take us longer to pick.        

Meanwhile, logical thinking is the process in which one consistently uses reason to come to a conclusion. Dr. Karl Albrecht, in his book called Brain Building, states that the basis of all logical thinking is sequential thought. This approach entails taking and organizing the important concepts, ideas, facts and conclusions involved in a dilemma in a chain-like progression. To think logically is to think in steps and stages. It has been proven that in logical thinking processes, specific training can make people “smarter.” Logical thinking helps people avoiding answers such as “this is too hard,” or “I don’t know,” by encouraging them to go deeper into thinking processes and understand better the methods used to get to a solution or find the solution itself. Dr. Albrecht said: “Logical thinking is not a magical process or a matter of genetic endowment, but a learned mental process.”  

Our minds see the numbers and prices of the cars that are most moderate, while our hearts see the astonishing expensive sport cars, telling us to go home with an Audi. Logic and emotion are the two best elements used for persuasion; it has a long-term and balanced effect. We are persuaded by reason and moved by emotion. This emotional pattern can also be seen when we are buying or shopping for something, in the way we convince ourselves to do so, just like in the example I mentioned earlier.  

As it is best when logic and emotion work together, they have different sides of the brain that they direct. The left-side contains more of logical and critical thinking, reasoning and it works with numbers. While the right side of the brain focuses on recognizing faces, expressing and reading emotions, being creative and intuitive. The left side encourages you to make a rational decision any time a choice comes into your head. The right side of the brain is pushing for the decision your feelings and emotions want while that happens. Studies reveal that 80 percent of the choices are taken from the right side of the brain and just 20 percent by the left which are based on logic. So, when an emotional decision is made, usually the left side of your brain kicks in and rationalizes the decision being made to whatever seems fit for the situation.  

In conclusion, with logic being the language of the conscious mind, and emotion the language of the unconscious mind, when they unite, they balance each-other out, resulting in the best made decisions. As emotion jumps in first to make the decision, it is logic that helps slow down the process of making the decision and thinking it through more. Logic and emotion, or pathos and logos, are the best tactics to use for persuasion. Then we have the two sides of the brain. The right one is ruled over emotion and the left from logic. I believe the biggest difference between emotional thinking and logical thinking is that emotions color our lives; they make them bright and enjoyable, amusing and full of surprises. Emotions create our personality and character; what we feel and how we react to situations, depending if we are risk-lovers or risk-averse, our emotions help us define as people. While logic is something we use to survive and carry on our lives; it doesn’t give us any excitement or something we look forward in doing. Like Alfred Adler said, “Follow your heart but take your brain with you.”