Comments for emotionistic http://emotionistic.com living life to the fullest Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:59:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on Social Relationships And Health by Social Technology http://emotionistic.com/posts/social-relationships-and-health/comment-page-1/#comment-269 Social Technology Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:59:56 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=895#comment-269 <strong>Old Social Technology...</strong> I found your entry interesting thus I've added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)... Old Social Technology…

I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…

]]> Comment on Great Relationships: What Makes Them “Great”? by Panopticon http://emotionistic.com/posts/great-relationships-what-makes-them-great/comment-page-1/#comment-257 Panopticon Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:49:15 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=928#comment-257 Mutual awesomeness! Mutual awesomeness!

]]> Comment on Two Techniques For Reducing Anxiety by Mom http://emotionistic.com/posts/two-techniques-for-reducing-anxiety/comment-page-1/#comment-250 Mom Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:40:22 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=908#comment-250 Just thought I would get myself going on reading some of your blogs. This one has some good ideas, some of which I have used and some of which I really didn't think of. Thanks Just thought I would get myself going on reading some of your blogs. This one has some good ideas, some of which I have used and some of which I really didn’t think of. Thanks

]]> Comment on About Emotionistic by Hillary http://emotionistic.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-240 Hillary Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:31:41 +0000 http://emotionalcow.com/?page_id=2#comment-240 I really like your "about" section, it left a tear in my eye! I am going to do your PR from this point forward and we are going to promote your blog and get it out there because I think it is really good. I really like your “about” section, it left a tear in my eye! I am going to do your PR from this point forward and we are going to promote your blog and get it out there because I think it is really good.

]]> Comment on Social Relationships And Health by Hillary http://emotionistic.com/posts/social-relationships-and-health/comment-page-1/#comment-239 Hillary Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:15:32 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=895#comment-239 Sounds like you better do a lot more "friend-making" and a lot less JUICE-making....there's some food for thought..jooosh!!! hehe Sounds like you better do a lot more “friend-making” and a lot less JUICE-making….there’s some food for thought..jooosh!!! hehe

]]> Comment on We’re All “Addicts” by Jason http://emotionistic.com/posts/were-all-addicts/comment-page-1/#comment-237 Jason Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:14:37 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=791#comment-237 Yes! I do the same thing. And I also suspect that, in an ironic way, some of the very mechanisms that originally evolved to make us <i>more</i> productive, in today's world actually end up making us <i>less</i> productive. We probably have mechanisms that are constantly evaluating the activities we're engaged in to determine how "valuable" they are (to our survival and reproduction). When an activity has been determined to be valuable, we get a good feeling about it and enjoy doing it (eating, having sex). But in the same way when an activity is determined to be of low or negative value, we get a bad feeling about it and try to avoid it. I imagine that our environment now is very different from the one we evolved in, since we have so many very long-term goals (studying so you can "get an A" in a class, doing this for years, so that one day you can "get a good job" so that you can "have money" so that *finally* you can have a good place to live and attract a good mate etc.), and because our everyday tasks are so different from the tasks that were valuable when the "value detectors" evolved. They knew nothing about unloading the dishwasher, or sitting at the computer typing for hours. So in many ways I imagine our "value detectors" aren't very good at determining what is really valuable in today's world -- hence they sometimes push us <i>away</i> from things we need to do -- all in the name of making us more productive! Yes! I do the same thing. And I also suspect that, in an ironic way, some of the very mechanisms that originally evolved to make us more productive, in today’s world actually end up making us less productive. We probably have mechanisms that are constantly evaluating the activities we’re engaged in to determine how “valuable” they are (to our survival and reproduction). When an activity has been determined to be valuable, we get a good feeling about it and enjoy doing it (eating, having sex). But in the same way when an activity is determined to be of low or negative value, we get a bad feeling about it and try to avoid it.

I imagine that our environment now is very different from the one we evolved in, since we have so many very long-term goals (studying so you can “get an A” in a class, doing this for years, so that one day you can “get a good job” so that you can “have money” so that *finally* you can have a good place to live and attract a good mate etc.), and because our everyday tasks are so different from the tasks that were valuable when the “value detectors” evolved. They knew nothing about unloading the dishwasher, or sitting at the computer typing for hours. So in many ways I imagine our “value detectors” aren’t very good at determining what is really valuable in today’s world — hence they sometimes push us away from things we need to do — all in the name of making us more productive!

]]> Comment on We’re All “Addicts” by Panopticon http://emotionistic.com/posts/were-all-addicts/comment-page-1/#comment-235 Panopticon Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:53:16 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=791#comment-235 For me, I find that I waste inordinate amounts of time doing useless stuff because of fear of or anxiety over doing the task that actually matters. I'm compelled to do the useless stuff because in a way I'm simultaneously compelled to avoid the activity that actually means the most to me...perhaps fear of failure or facing a challenge... For me, I find that I waste inordinate amounts of time doing useless stuff because of fear of or anxiety over doing the task that actually matters. I’m compelled to do the useless stuff because in a way I’m simultaneously compelled to avoid the activity that actually means the most to me…perhaps fear of failure or facing a challenge…

]]> Comment on Firework Feelings and Children At Play by Jason http://emotionistic.com/posts/firework-feelings-and-children-at-play/comment-page-1/#comment-230 Jason Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:41:36 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=723#comment-230 Glad you found the method interesting, would love to hear how it works out for you. It's also an interesting question you bring up about whether feelings can be categorized into "positive" and "negative". My own take is that this positive/negative aspect is <i>one part</i> of feelings, but that there is a lot more to them too. I also suspect that paying attention to feelings and thinking about them in certain ways (such as by imagining yourself to be watching fireworks, or by "not resisting" them, etc.) may change that positive/negative aspect. In some cases, perhaps it could lessen or remove the negative aspect of the feeling (the dream!) Glad you found the method interesting, would love to hear how it works out for you. It’s also an interesting question you bring up about whether feelings can be categorized into “positive” and “negative”. My own take is that this positive/negative aspect is one part of feelings, but that there is a lot more to them too. I also suspect that paying attention to feelings and thinking about them in certain ways (such as by imagining yourself to be watching fireworks, or by “not resisting” them, etc.) may change that positive/negative aspect. In some cases, perhaps it could lessen or remove the negative aspect of the feeling (the dream!)

]]> Comment on Firework Feelings and Children At Play by Panopticon http://emotionistic.com/posts/firework-feelings-and-children-at-play/comment-page-1/#comment-229 Panopticon Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:09:14 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=723#comment-229 I find this method fascinating. It is intriguing that you suggest rightly to "externalize" not just negative feelings, but feelings as such when they tend to overwhelm. Perhaps this is to say that there is something misguided in categorizing feelings in such a binary way; maybe the task is to truly realize the tapestry of feelings and see the interconnectedness that blurs the positive/negative dichotomy. In this way too one would more properly observe the feelings instead of "participating" in the activity of assigning some +/- value to them. Theory and my random musings aside, this is something I am going to make an effort to practice. It is no doubt difficult and I'd love to hear peoples' views on how to remember to observe the sea of emotions instead of drowning in it... I find this method fascinating. It is intriguing that you suggest rightly to “externalize” not just negative feelings, but feelings as such when they tend to overwhelm. Perhaps this is to say that there is something misguided in categorizing feelings in such a binary way; maybe the task is to truly realize the tapestry of feelings and see the interconnectedness that blurs the positive/negative dichotomy. In this way too one would more properly observe the feelings instead of “participating” in the activity of assigning some +/- value to them.
Theory and my random musings aside, this is something I am going to make an effort to practice. It is no doubt difficult and I’d love to hear peoples’ views on how to remember to observe the sea of emotions instead of drowning in it…

]]> Comment on Great Relationships: More Than Just Being Nice? by Kimi http://emotionistic.com/posts/not-just-nice-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-207 Kimi Sun, 04 Jul 2010 14:55:15 +0000 http://emotionistic.com/?p=550#comment-207 we all agree on jungle friends.... why don't you come downstairs? we all agree on jungle friends…. why don’t you come downstairs?

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