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What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

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Re: What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

#61

How should you know? Actually an interesting problem: A1. You say you don't experience emotions. A2. What you call emotions is what you see others do when they say they are acting emotionally. You don't think you are this way. A3. Your doctor says you're right. Or: B1. You say you experience emotions. B2. Others say you are wrong.

You're completely right at it's heart is an innate doubt over whether this is actually a problem or just a manifestation of some weird thought process.

The only way to really get outside this kind of introverted bubble is to ask people or confide in them. This leads to conversations like whether an emotion like happiness is an actual thing or not that they can identify and actually feel. In the sense that they are actually sitting there and willing to state "I feel happy", it's different from yesterday. Most people are hence why I diagnose myself in line with this article.

Or, another way is people generally have an answer to the "Tell me about a time you were very happy"... a lot of people can reel something off really easily here. Sometimes it's like a wedding and you think "you could be saying that because it's accepted as a good answer" but other people say a certain day at the beach where something really specific happens and that lends credence to the idea they feel this emotion and I don't.

Re: What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

#62
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they don't have any emotions they don't care what other people do or that they nag them. Nothings annoys them, nothing excites them. You getting the order wrong. Of course you need to build up intuition when you create things that doesn't have a matemathical formula. Thats exactly what intuition is a combination of rational understand, experience and emotional awareness of what decision is right and which one is w…

I think you're basically arguing that herd behavior or swarm behavior can't emerge without self conscious higher level adult emotions; I'm thinking that's a big stretch based on natural examples. I'm not even sure "monkey see monkey do" even is an emotion, if it is, which is it? Possession of empathy isn't possessing the observed emotion, its just observing it. For another weird concept look at humanities universal h…

Marriage is a cultural institution NOT a biological one. There is a big and important difference between the two IMO.

I agree with your empathy description. In fact a lot of people think empathy primarily is about the ability to feel other peoples pain but it's much wider than that. But thats another discussion.

Re: What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

#64
post #12

I don't get it. Is the article exaggerating things? How can you function without feeling emotions? What is your motivation for getting married? Getting a job? Playing a game or watching a movie? Succeeding at any task? What is your reward mechanism? For example "All week he had been struggling to produce the right sound effects," How would you even know you hit the right sound effect? What is your judgement for good…

It is really weird to be honest, I wouldn't say the other replies on this comment at the moment cover it so thought I would try and add something. On one had you're right those are genuine issues, there's little motivation to do anything really. I guess it is a spectrum but I still feel that if someone asks me to do something that I'm being a nice person if I do it, I guess others might be devoid of that. So if invit…

Are there decisions you have trouble making?

Re: What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is really weird to be honest, I wouldn't say the other replies on this comment at the moment cover it so thought I would try and add something. On one had you're right those are genuine issues, there's little motivation to do anything really. I guess it is a spectrum but I still feel that if someone asks me to do something that I'm being a nice person if I do it, I guess others might be devoid of that. So if invit…

Are there decisions you have trouble making?

Yeah, making decisions is like a big pros and cons list. If there's no real way to split the two it's hard if it's something I care on some level about.

So for example picking a colour for a carpet or pick a new pair of shoes is a nightmare and I put that kind of thing off because ultimately I have no way in my brain to pick beyond that I want something plain so it's quite uncomfortable.

Or picking a holiday destination is awkward, I live in Europe but I don't care whether I next go to Berlin, Paris or Rome. Even if I've been there before versus not I just don't care at all beyond if I consider it stressful being out of comfort zone or something in which case some places can be ruled out.

I suppose that's the trivial things, the bigger life decisions where I can't make a decision I guess ultimately my wife makes for us.

I don't think that's specific to this condition, I've read elsewhere that lots of people have a similar scientific approach to decision making.

Re: What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

#66
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would caring for yourself be "more logical" than for others? I don't think the concept even applies. Logic concerns itself with the validity of reasoning: Given X and Y, you can validly infer Z - it doesn't concern itself with the goals. So, unless there's an underlying axiom that supports the assertion that you should promote your interests above others', it's not "more logical" to do so than to dedicate your li…

> Why would caring for yourself be "more logical" than for others? Because you ARE yourself, and the obvious thing is to maximize your strength. And because caring for others implies "love", "affection", "altruism" (emotions, not rational calculations) and even sacrificing your interests for others, whereas helping yourself is immediately advantageous for you and is in your default interest.

>whereas helping yourself is immediately advantageous for you and is in your default interest.

No it isn't, it's basically suicidal. We wouldn't evolve to be mostly altruistic if being altruistic was bad for our survival.

Re: What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

#67
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What is your motivation for getting married? "Other people are getting married. I guess I should go on with the program (shrug). Hmm, this person took an interest in me (or my friends/mother/etc hooked me up with this person), I could marry them maybe.". > Getting a job? Hmm, I feel physical hunger. Maybe I need to get a job. Hmm, here's a sign for help wanted. Maybe I can apply there. > Playing a game or watching…

Other people getting married is not something you would care about since you have not emotions. With regards to the thunderstorm thats not how it works. It's not the rational request thats the problem but the intuition around when it feels right. Emotions are fundamental to making any kind of creative decisions.

I think the english language conflates intuition with emotion, referring to two separate actions (intuiting and emotionally responding to) with the same word: "feel".

Re: What is it like to have never felt an emotion?

#68
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really, Nash equilibria aren't necessarily the best outcome for any individual (cf the prisoner's dilemma). Cooperation is usually better than every-man-for-himself for everyone involved, hence why social animals evolve altruistic traits. Of course, selfishness works at the expense of an altruistic majority, but that's why people don't like to associate with psychopaths

That's in game theory. Not many people are ever offered a bona fide "prisoner's dilemma". In most actual real life situations you can get far ahead by behaving as a sociopath. > Of course, selfishness works at the expense of an altruistic majority, but that's why people don't like to associate with psychopaths The thing is that as a sociopath you don't even have to show that you are that to people. You can still pret…

>The thing is that as a sociopath you don't even have to show that you are that to people. You can still pretend to be altruistic (to your advantage) and still push your personal agenda whenever possible covertly.

People aren't stupid.

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