Emotional Appeals and Their Affect on the Brain

     The human brain is like a ball of modelling clay. When first brought into use it is soft and mouldable; easily imprinted. As time continues, it begins to set and harden, making our mind unchangeable. Like modelling clay, our minds can become versatile once again. What is it that has the power to weaken our mind and make it susceptible once again? Some may argue that fact controls our actions more than our feelings; however, emotional appeals are more effective than rational explanations at motivating people to act because of our emotions, mindset, intuition and values.

            When persuading someone to make a decision, it can be very effective to connect with them on an emotional level.  One strategy of getting into someone’s head is to guilt them. Guilt is a very powerful thing; it has the ability to destroy people. To avoid the gut wrenching wrath of guilt, it is a good idea to take others feelings into consideration. However, doing so can alter our decision making a great amount. For example, if you were in a dilemma and one option would result in hurting someone close to you, your solution would most likely become much clearer to you.  Or, without even being given the power to choose as you wish, the friend may subtly hint at how your actions affect others; persuading you to make your choice in their favour.  Although it may not be the right thing to do, it is very effective.

            In addition to emotionally, being able to reach someone psychologically can impact their motives. In a state of confusion, people tend to be very open to new ideas or suggestions in hopes to find a solution for their problem. Having such an open mind can cause one to become vulnerable. If you are close with someone it can be very easy to get inside their head. Since you know their priorities, you can make it seem as if one option has only positive outcomes in order to benefit yourself. Without pressure from others, people can base their actions off of their own feelings. For example, being asked to test a new skill can be intimidating for some. The fear could cause them to decline the opportunity. Despite the fear some may look at it as a chance to conquer great things and reach a sense of pride or fullness.

Basing decisions off facts isn’t always a smart idea. Sometimes when in a sticky situation people don’t always have all of the facts necessary to make a well informed decision. It is at times like these when quick thinking is called for. This is where the gut instinct comes into play. People tend to make good decisions because of the emotion they are feeling. The “gut feeling“ can be described as an overpowering, nagging, all consuming monster in the pit of your stomach telling you that something is not right.  I have experienced this feeling many times before, however; one instance that stands out to me was when it happened to my doctor. A few years ago I was in the hospital with the H1N1 flu. At the time I was extremely sick and the doctors were very concerned for my well being. I was having a hard time breathing so my doctors decided to test me for pneumonia, the test results would take too long to come back, most likely after it would be too late. One of my doctors realized the danger of my situation and decided to treat me and get the fluid out of my lungs. Her gut instinct saved my life, not facts.

Another reason why facts should not always be used to guide decisions is because there is no happiness or love accounted for in reason. If people base major life decisions off science, chances are they will not be happy. For example, in school teenagers are taught to choose a career path that makes them happy. Despite what they are told, some will chose to take the best paying job they can find. Years after sitting at a job they hate, they realize choosing money over happiness was not the right thing to do. This shows how our values can motivate us. They can lead us into a great future or a life of wondering what could have been.

Ultimately, peoples actions are motivated by their emotions, character, intuition, and values; thus making rational explanations the weaker motivational strategy in comparison to emotional appeals. This being said, the tactics used to sway people are not always morally right. Due to our minds gravitation towards emotion, influencing peoples’ decisions can be a dangerous game to play.