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Emotions, feelings, and motivation

Emotions and motivation are closely connected. This was one of the initial conclusions drawn by advertisers Cheskin and Dichter. However, understanding the role of emotions in motivating behavior requires distinguishing them from feelings, which is more complex than it may seem. Our vocabulary falls short in describing the intricacies of this field of research.

According to Paul Ekman, emotions are specific mental states characterized by rapid onset, limited duration, and involuntary occurrence. In contrast, feelings develop and are consciously perceived over time, which is not always the case with emotions.

Paul Griffiths classifies emotions into two types: primary emotions, which are linked to our animal nature (affect program), and more complex emotions, which are influenced by our cultural environment (higher cognitive emotions).

There is a continuum between reflexive, animal emotional reactions and profound, enduring feelings, making it difficult to divide them into distinct sequences.

What is certain is that emotions serve as indicators of situations that require consideration, alerting us and activating our attention. These signals prompt us to reassess the relevance of our choices.

Damasio's research, presented in his book "Descartes' Error," demonstrates the connection between emotions and the quality of our decision-making. He studied a patient who consistently made inconsistent and even disadvantageous choices despite having intact logical reasoning and short-term memory. The patient lacked emotional experiences, such as empathy, sympathy, and affect.

Numerous experiments have replicated these findings, confirming that our decisions and choices are intricately tied to our emotions.


For a long time, research has focused on the motivational aspect of negative emotions, such as fear and guilt. Unsurprisingly, one of the most effective sales techniques is the time-limited price offer. The fear of missing out on an opportunity is often stronger than rational thinking.

FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out, is a type of social anxiety characterized by a constant fear of missing important news or social interactions. That is why we have those little red dots on our smartphone icons, to stimulate our curiosity to the point of turning it into anxiety.

In 1979, behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky introduced the concept of loss aversion. This concept represents one of the many cognitive biases that affect our rationality when making choices and decisions. They demonstrated that we are more affected by the loss of something than the potential gain. And this bias tricks us when we face a decision involving a loss. Even if the potential gain may be more significant, our aversion to loss drives us to reject the solution that would benefit us and avoid the pain of the loss, no matter how small it may be.

This loss aversion is likely directly linked to our primary genetic programming. When resources are scarce, we are careful not to lose anything. The risk always feels greater when we are uncertain about the future. This is probably why some people who have experienced war or live in precarious situations tend to hold onto things that may seem useless.

This is also why it is better to deliver all the bad news simultaneously and spread the good news across multiple occasions. The repetition effect works in favor of positive emotions.