feelthink

Feelthink is a colloquial term used to describe the integrated operation of affective states and cognitive processes in judgment and decision making. The concept emphasizes that reasoning and feeling do not function in isolation; emotions can shape attention, memory, and inference, while conscious reasoning and deliberation can alter or regulate emotional responses. Proponents use feelthink to highlight the dynamic, bidirectional nature of everyday thinking rather than viewing emotion and logic as strictly separate modules.

Origins and usage: The word feelthink is not a formal term in most cognitive science literatures. It has appeared in popular science writing and some theoretical discussions to capture the intuitive sense of mind as a continuous dialogue between feeling and thought. In this sense, feelthink parallels, but is not identical to, concepts such as affect infusion, the somatic marker hypothesis, and dual-process theories of cognition.

Characteristics and examples: In practice, feelthink describes processes like quick gut judgments that steer more deliberate analysis, or reflective reasoning that alters emotional states through reappraisal. Examples include choosing a product because it feels right even if the logical analysis is inconclusive; evaluating social risks based on a mix of remembered feelings and logic.

Evaluation and limitations: Critics argue that feelthink is vague and overlaps with existing terms; it risks conflating distinct processes; measurement challenges occur when trying to operationalize 'feeling' and 'thinking' simultaneously. It is largely speculative and not widely adopted as a formal construct in empirical research.

See also: affective neuroscience, emotion, cognition, decision making.