Is it normal for me to believe that feelings and emotions are nothing more than illusions of the human mind???

Question

thats what i think. im a very cold person. i dont find purpose in emotions and i see them as nothing but a bhuman weakness. we are better off without them. they are illusions our minds create for some reason. i refuse to believe that we need emotions to live. only such thing as our weak minds can create the illusion of love to keep us content. i may be wrong, but thats what i think. i am a logial thinker. i aslo dont understand the rules and fabrics of society. whats is the purpose of a hand shake? a hug? of saying hello? etc. and who created these "unwriiten rules"? this is my idea of life and humans. i would like to leanr more about it and analyze it more so if anyone knows of a book or whatever that agrees or supports my theory. plz let me know. thank u!

Answer 1

Not illusions; they are real, physical reactions. You may be blocking them. There may be some traumatic experience that causes you to shut off your feelings. It's not necessarily something you're even aware that you're doing. Experiencing the full range of emotions in life is worth a little investigative effort on your part, I think it's safe to say that most people would agree. A psychologist would be a good investment for you to see what you can find out about that.

The purpose of emotions is survival. Fear helps us survive, when it is applied correctly in the right circumstances. It guides us away from life threatening activies. Happiness helps us survive. It guides us towards life affirming and life enhancing activities and people. Your emotions aren't strong, for whatever reason. You're denying them. They are not serving the purpose for which they exist. We're all logical to some degree or another, so saying that you're logical, so you don't experience emotion is a bogus argument. Logic exists for a reason, and it's not to cancel out emotion. Logic and emotion can and do exist in people together, both enhancing the life experience in their own way.

The purpose of a handshake is to show good will. Life affirming. The purpose of a hug is life enhancing, at its most basic. It's touch. Babies who are not hugged fail to thrive. Animal groups who have learned to cooperate have higher survival rates and longer, easier lives on average than those who do not. So, a hello is part of a cooperative society. Life enhancing. These are not unwritten rules; they are techniques and behaviors that have developed over history because they have helped humans survive.

Almost any book you would pick up would give you information that you don't have about this. The arts and humanities deal with this extensively. Read some Shakespeare. Pick up the Cliff Notes and see what you can discover about the common human condition and how you are very much like and very different from everyone else.

It sounds like you have lived a very emotionally impoverished, lonely life. There is another way, and you can begin to investigate through psychotherapy and share in the fruits of this trip through time and space with the rest of your species. Why not enjoy the journey?

Good luck.

Answer 2

No it is not normal to feel \think this way...many of the views you expressed

here are also the views of persons with a mental disorder called psychopathy ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy

I don't think you will find a book supporting these ideas, there are many that will explain why you think this way though...

Answer 3

You can't avoid your emotions and feelings. They are always there. Sometimes people keep these emotions and feelings at a distance. I know I did. I thought they were silly too, but, I have found out they are not. It is normal to feel and have emotions. Sometimes you can analize too much. I have been told I do, but, that is a part of me. I can't erase that. Having feelings and emotions though are very normal. People need human contact. I feel sorry for people like you. You will never discover the content of finding someone whom you can connect to.

Answer 4

Could be a sociopath or even psychotic.  I suggest going to see a psychiatrist.  At least you know something is wrong.

Answer 5

Being logical is boring. You can be friend with a computer. I rather have emotions.