What If Humans Didn't Have Emotions? | Unveiled

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What If Humans Didn’t Have Emotions?</h4>

Humans aren’t robots. Despite all the looming, gloomy prophecies that we might one day become machines, we’re still very much guided by other, less automated forces. By our instincts, and beliefs, memories, thoughts, and feelings. But what would happen if all those guiding voices were taken away? What would happen if you couldn’t feel… anything?

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; what if humans didn’t have emotions?

At its simplest, an emotion is a mental state of being. There isn’t one agreed upon definition, however, and research into emotions can go many ways. The word itself, emotion, dates back to at least the sixteenth century, and derives from a French term meaning; “to stir up”. This image of a melting pot, a swirl of different things combining together, is apt. Emotions are rarely singular or straightforward. They’re a blend, and they’re difficult to pin down.

Nevertheless, scientists (and philosophers) have tried. In history, what we now view as emotions were at times interpreted to be a sign of divinity, or as a bridge to the gods. Some believed that personal passions and moods were sent and controlled by deities. Times have moved on, but there is still a sense that our emotions are uncontrollable to us. We can’t help how we feel. And, given that so much of what we do and think (all of what we do and think, according to some models) is shaped by emotion… that’s a bit of a problem. It’s like our emotions are constantly lurking in the background, waiting to pull at our strings and dictate what happens to us next.

Measuring emotions is, again, tricky. But there are certain aspects we can look out for. Emotions trigger an internal, entirely subjective response to any one thing. But they also guide our actions, the things we say, the facial expressions we make. They can trigger various involuntary physiological responses (such as sweating or goosebumps) but can also lead us to make other, voluntary moves (such as physically moving away or towards an object or person). 

Emotions, in themselves, are usually seen as fleeting. Short, sharp bursts of feeling that can sometimes disappear so quickly that you might not even realize you’d even experienced them. When emotions hang around we might describe them instead as a mood or, if they hang around for even longer, a mind-set. Even in just the first flash of emotion, though, they demand our attention and essentially motivate our behaviors. Sometimes it’s impossible to move past the emotional response, which is when we say things like we “see red” when we’re angry, or we’re “love drunk” when everything is made better thanks to just one emotional link. At times, emotions can then lead to irrational or extreme behaviors… as even our so-called voice of reason is, ultimately, guided by emotion.

Theories are split as to how and why we have emotions in the first place. Some claim that they leave a wholly physical trace through our brains. Certain areas (such as the limbic system, the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala) are thought to be key to generating emotion, processing fired up chemicals to produce our responses. However, others maintain that at least some emotions (perhaps most) are created based on external factors such as culture, environment and upbringing. Lisa Feldman Barrett’s theory of constructed emotion is perhaps the leading model for this way of thinking.

Clearly this is still an evolving field of research, filled with nuance rather than certainty. But there is one way we could theoretically remove all the ambiguity. What happens if humans didn’t have emotions at all? 

First off, we might lose a lot of our survival instincts. For example, fear is an emotion, and if it gets out of control it can be debilitating. But, at its root, fear is there to urge caution. Some people are more afraid of heights than others, but in all of us there is at least some recognition that being high up is different to being at ground level. Scientists believe that this is an evolved emotion, to warn us to tread carefully or else possibly fall and probably die. Similarly, admiration can be viewed as an emotion, developed over history to better enable us to build social links, friendship groups, wider societies, civilizations, and so on. It perhaps isn’t a survival instinct in the same sense, but it does contribute to a core aspect of what it means to be human. If you take these away, then there’s a good argument that human beings would suddenly be extremely vulnerable. Without emotions as a means to assess what’s safe and not, good or bad, right or wrong, we could quickly end up directionless… and much more likely to get into trouble. In some scenarios - and particularly without fear informing our choices - we’d be more likely to get physically injured, or even to die.

Elsewhere, however, and if there were a way to maintain these core kinds of “safety net” emotions, but do away with everything else, would it be for the best? Right away you might argue that, yes, it would. Without emotions there’s no such thing as sadness, heartbreak or anxiety. There’s nothing to fuel stress, paranoia, or self-consciousness. Humans would never be angry, disappointed, disgusted, embarrassed or ashamed. All in all, it would seemingly make for a much simpler life. Without emotions, there really are no bad feelings. Things like hate and arrogance don’t exist. Even entire conditions, such as depression, wouldn’t set in - according to some definitions of what emotions are. Of course, there’s a trade off, and on the other side there would no longer be happiness, optimism or love. In terms of physical behavior, there’d be no more laughter. And, while crying perhaps isn’t your favorite thing to do, there’d be no more tears of joy, either. Without love, we’d have no loved ones. You’d view your family and friends as just the same as everyone else. There’d be no such thing as respect. There’d be no one out there who cared. Instead, life would become just a series of tasks to start and finish, over and over, with no emotional investment in the what, why or how.

Interestingly, this actually isn’t a wholly hypothetical scenario. Alexithymia is a neuropsychological condition which leads to people being unable to acknowledge, express or even have emotions. Otherwise known as emotional blindness, alexithymia isn’t generally classified as a mental disorder, but it is thought to affect around ten percent of people. It works differently from case to case, but broadly those with it really don’t feel happiness, or sadness, or annoyance, or sympathy. For some, it’s a total blank state, with no emotions whatsoever… but for others, it’s more like there are some big, open gaps in their emotional range. For example, one alexithymic might feel anger, no problem, but they might never feel sadness. Many report feeling no emotional response during even some of the most significant moments in their lives - such as on their wedding day, or at the birth of their children. Some alexithymics can be very self-analytical, as a result, constantly trying to figure out the reasons for (or the logic behind) their seeming lack of feeling. However, researchers are keen to point out that alexithymics are not heartless people as a rule… and, in fact, can often be fairer, more considerate and wiser than others, thanks to their own relationship (or lack of) with their emotions.

Alexithymia is generally considered along a kind of spectrum, however. There are degrees of alexithymic severity that any one person can experience. An alternate reality where no human ever has an emotional response to anything… is a wholly different place. And, ultimately, although there would be no emotional understanding of boredom, perhaps it would be a very boring world. There’s some argument that it would be a highly efficient and functional world, without emotions to blur our judgment or basically waste our time. And, if we were stuck inside such a place, then perhaps we’d never feel motivated to try to break out of it. 

But, from the outside looking in, what do you think? Is a life without emotions a life that you would want to live? Let us know in the comments! Is it worth feeling sad to feel happy? Would you trade surprise if it meant you’d never be disappointed again? It’s true that humans aren’t robots, and emotions are one of the big reasons why… but that’s what would happen if we didn’t have them at all.