A Rather Trite Question...

[Ana the Ist]

What is the most powerful human emotion and why? Please think this over and don't give me an answer that appeals to your particular viewpoint of mankind....

I'm going with fear. Few emotions have such immediacy and crippling effects. We love stories where it's overcome for similar reasons. When properly applied, I can't think of another emotion capable of pushing so many in the same direction.

 

[circuitrider]

What is the most powerful human emotion and why? Please think this over and don't give me an answer that appeals to your particular viewpoint of mankind....

I'm going with fear. Few emotions have such immediacy and crippling effects. We love stories where it's overcome for similar reasons. When properly applied, I can't think of another emotion capable of pushing so many in the same direction.

I've seen love overcome fear, for example a parent risking their life to rescue a child. So I'm going to have to say love.

 

[Ana the Ist]

I've seen love overcome fear, for example a parent risking their life to rescue a child. So I'm going to have to say love.

Yea, truthfully anything can overcome anything. Hate can in moments overcome love for example. The problem is love is so rarely extended beyond a few close people...even then usually more to one than any other. Fear can move millions in unison....

 

[Eudaimonist]

I don't think that there is a "most powerful emotion". Emotions are as powerful as you let them be, regardless of which they are.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Gottservant]

The most powerful emotion is hate.

Because we you have felt every emotion and you still hate it, nothing else matters.

This is because hate unifies emotions and it is uniquely the only emotion that does so.

Fear can synchronize, but it cannot unite.

 

[quatona]

What is the most powerful human emotion and why? Please think this over and don't give me an answer that appeals to your particular viewpoint of mankind....

I'm going with fear. Few emotions have such immediacy and crippling effects. We love stories where it's overcome for similar reasons. When properly applied, I can't think of another emotion capable of pushing so many in the same direction.

I tend to agree - particularly because many other emotions are often rooted in fear, as well.

Of course, for the individual person the most powerful emotion is the one that has power over them in this very moment.

 

[Kalevalatar]

Shame.

While fear, hate, love are emotions that we feel for things outside ourselves, shame is acutely felt inside ourselves, concerning ourselves. And while you make the point that fear is capable of pushing so many in the same direction, shame seem to be an emotion capable of pushing an individual in so many "wrong" directions -- "lashing out", projecting, if you will -- as well as keeping them back. It drives anger, fear, hatred, pride, despair, self-loathing, shyness. "I could die of shame", you know.

 

[juvenissun]

What is the most powerful human emotion and why? Please think this over and don't give me an answer that appeals to your particular viewpoint of mankind....

I'm going with fear. Few emotions have such immediacy and crippling effects. We love stories where it's overcome for similar reasons. When properly applied, I can't think of another emotion capable of pushing so many in the same direction.

This is an emotional question.

How do you tell powerful, very powerful and most powerful apart?

 

[essentialsaltes]

While I don't necessarily agree with him, HP Lovecraft famously wrote, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

 

[PlayWithFire]

How would you define "powerful" in regards to this? The emotional effect on one person? How it causes him/her to react? Effect on society/those surrounding that person?

It's a very interesting question. However, I'm not sure I believe there is one true answer for everyone. It seems highly individualized to me.

While I don't necessarily agree with him, HP Lovecraft famously wrote, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

I do love this quote though.

I can understand the argument for fear being the most powerful emotion - at least in the possible immediate effects.

 

[Ana the Ist]

I don't think that there is a "most powerful emotion". Emotions are as powerful as you let them be, regardless of which they are.


eudaimonia,

Mark

Have you always felt so much control over your emotions? Was there never a feeling you couldn't suppress?

 

[Ana the Ist]

The most powerful emotion is hate.

Because we you have felt every emotion and you still hate it, nothing else matters.

This is because hate unifies emotions and it is uniquely the only emotion that does so.

Fear can synchronize, but it cannot unite.

I think hate burns a bit too strong to last. Fear can last a lifetime...fear of being dead, old, ugly, alone...and on and on.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hates for long...let alone a lifetime. Even without any change, it fades all on it's own.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Shame.

While fear, hate, love are emotions that we feel for things outside ourselves, shame is acutely felt inside ourselves, concerning ourselves. And while you make the point that fear is capable of pushing so many in the same direction, shame seem to be an emotion capable of pushing an individual in so many "wrong" directions -- "lashing out", projecting, if you will -- as well as keeping them back. It drives anger, fear, hatred, pride, despair, self-loathing, shyness. "I could die of shame", you know.

As quatona said, other emotions are rooted in fear. I see shame that way. It's a fear of others seeing us as we see ourselves.

 

[Ana the Ist]

This is an emotional question.

How do you tell powerful, very powerful and most powerful apart?

Well...the effects...on individuals and groups.

 

[Ana the Ist]

While I don't necessarily agree with him, HP Lovecraft famously wrote, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

Good quote. Fear of the dark.

 

[juvenissun]

Well...the effects...on individuals and groups.

Love is pretty powerful to me. And I have no way to compare it with fear, happy, or whatever other emotions are.

A little bit angry can wrack my car and kill some people. Is that emotion powerful enough? One may fear all the time, but is able to live a normal life. Would that fear be no power at all?

 

[Ana the Ist]

Love is pretty powerful to me. And I have no way to compare it with fear, happy, or whatever other emotions are.

A little bit angry can wrack my car and kill some people. Is that emotion powerful enough? One may fear all the time, but is able to live a normal life. Would that fear be no power at all?

That's so true.

"One may fear all the time, but is able to live a normal life"

Is that possibly because a life is inherently directed by fear? A child afraid of the dark. A child learning from fear of a scolding. A teenager afraid to ask out a girl. A man afraid to ask for a raise. A woman afraid of being alone. Etc etc etc.

A life of fear can certainly be "normal" in all appearances...

How many times have you truly loved?

 

[Gottservant]

Shame.

While fear, hate, love are emotions that we feel for things outside ourselves, shame is acutely felt inside ourselves, concerning ourselves. And while you make the point that fear is capable of pushing so many in the same direction, shame seem to be an emotion capable of pushing an individual in so many "wrong" directions -- "lashing out", projecting, if you will -- as well as keeping them back. It drives anger, fear, hatred, pride, despair, self-loathing, shyness. "I could die of shame", you know.

This makes sense until you realise that shame only affects what hatred has caused to grow first. And after shame comes hate. Hate makes shame feel better. Hate reduces shame.

The question is which is the greatest emotion, not which is the most effective emotion.

But you definitely picked a close contender.

 

[Gottservant]

I think hate burns a bit too strong to last. Fear can last a lifetime...fear of being dead, old, ugly, alone...and on and on.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hates for long...let alone a lifetime. Even without any change, it fades all on it's own.

That's because it's powerful, which is the question.

You are asking which is the longest lasting emotion.

I think we need to define what we mean by power.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Have you always felt so much control over your emotions? Was there never a feeling you couldn't suppress?

No, while I have some control over my emotions, that control is not unlimited.

I meant that there is no one emotion that is "most powerful" because that is entirely dependent on circumstances, including whatever control one does happen to exert. It seems pointless to ask this question, because it can be any of the emotions at any one time.


eudaimonia,

Mark