CannonBard

Cannon–Bard theory of emotion is a psychological and neurophysiological model introduced by Walter Cannon and Philip Bard in the 1920s as a response to the James–Lange theory. It proposes that emotional experience and physiological arousal occur in parallel and independently in response to a stimulus, rather than one causing the other.

The theory posits that sensory information reaches the thalamus, which then sends two simultaneous signals: one to cortical areas that produce the subjective experience of emotion, and another to the autonomic nervous system to generate arousal such as increased heart rate or sweating. This arrangement allows strong emotions to arise without requiring bodily feedback to trigger them.

Compared with the James–Lange view, Cannon and Bard argued that the same patterns of arousal can accompany different emotions and that the brain’s processing can generate emotion directly. The thalamus is emphasized as a central relay in the neural basis of emotional experience.

Though influential, the Cannon–Bard model has been refined by later research. Neurophysiological studies point to specific brain circuits, including the amygdala, and acknowledge that autonomic arousal can modulate but not solely determine emotional experience. The Schachter–Singer two-factor theory later integrated cognitive labeling with arousal, offering a broader framework for the origin of emotions.

Today the Cannon–Bard framework is regarded as a foundational account that highlights parallel processing of affect and physiological responses, while recognizing additional mechanisms and feedback processes in emotional experience.