Physiological reactions play a key role in the formation of the awareness and experience of emotions.

Bodily Foundations of Emotion

Physiological reactions play a key role in the formation of the awareness and experience of emotions. According to one of the theories described in the source, the sequence of events in an emotional experience is not as traditionally believed: first, there is immediate bodily arousal, and only then does our awareness of this arousal become what we perceive as an emotion. In other words, we experience a particular emotional state precisely as a result of sensing specific physiological changes in the body.

As presented in James's argument, detailed in the source (source_file: link txt, page: 66), the sequence of events appears as follows: “we are sad because we cry, we are furious because we beat someone, we are afraid because we tremble.” This means that initially, a physiological reaction occurs—crying, aggression, trembling—and only then, by becoming aware of these bodily manifestations, do we attribute emotional content to them. Thus, the awareness and experience of emotions are closely tied to the observation and interpretation of our physiological reactions.

It should be noted that the physiological processes themselves do not contain information about the “quality” of emotions—they can only vary in intensity. For example, in the context of perceiving auditory stimuli, physical manifestations (such as vibrations or pressure) cannot convey all the nuances of a musical chord. Similarly, a physiological reaction may only serve as a foundation, while emotional content emerges solely as a result of our conscious awareness and interpretation of these reactions (source_file: link txt).

Thus, physiological reactions are an important, but not the only, component of the emotional experience. They provide a bodily basis that, through the process of becoming aware, transforms into a subjective sensory experience, making emotions a holistic phenomenon that unites the physical and mental facets of our existence.

Supporting citation(s):
“It is commonly stated as follows: we cry, we beat, we tremble because we are sad, furious, frightened” (source: link txt, page: 66).
“By observing the physical and physiological processes associated with the perception of sound, we will find nothing but varying degrees of intensity... Nothing resembling the mental sensation of the quality of a musical sound and these pressures and movements...” (source: link txt).