<p>First, there's not complete agreement in psychology nor neuroscience: you can find support for most any imaginable position. But in terms of the consensus of recent peer-reviewed work, here are some thoughts.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“When a person is drawn to a specific item on the menu or a particular romantic prospect, the mind is trying to tell him that he should choose that option."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There's a false dichotomy here between a person's motivation and some external (?) agent called "the mind". Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors emerge from biological and cognitive processes, and if you dig into those operations there is no level that reveals a separate agent. See this link for a related theory called the Homunculus <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Terminological_use_in_modern_science" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Terminological_use_in_modern_science</a> , or chapter 2 of the book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774981-waking-up" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Waking Up</em></a> by Sam Harris, for a deeper dive into agentic selves in the brain.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"It has already assessed the alternatives – this analysis takes place outside of conscious awareness – and converted that assessment into positive emotion."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There were early reports of complex weighing of alternatives by unconscious minds by Dijksterhuis and others, but the higher-quality recent replication attempts suggest these claims were overblown. The unconscious mind may or may not be able to do basic arithmetic. That's the current level: nothing so fancy as suggested here. Recent coverage of this replication: <a href="https://retractionwatch.com/2017/05/08/can-math-unconsciously-replicators-prominent-2012-study-doubts/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://retractionwatch.com/2017/05/08/can-math-unconsciously-replicators-prominent-2012-study-doubts/</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"The world is full of things and it is our feelings that help us choose among them.”</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This is true, but is already well known. Feelings, thoughts, and motivations operate together to urge our organisms towards desired outcomes and away from unwanted outcomes. Here's an article that goes into more depth on how the body (including our mind) pursues desired states: <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00332747.1955.11022996" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00332747.1955.11022996</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-26T21:26:16.610Z
2018-09-27T09:19:03.620Z
2018-09-27T09:19:03.620Z
Cameron Brick
<p>I'm reading <a href="https://www.free-range-humans.com/choices/feelings/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this article</a> by Marianne Cantwell, in the middle of the article, she quotes Jonah Lehrer's book <em>How We Decide</em>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>“When a person is drawn to a specific item on the menu or a particular
  romantic prospect, the mind is trying to tell him that he should
  choose that option.</p>
  
  <p>It has already assessed the alternatives – this analysis takes place
  outside of conscious awareness – and converted that assessment into
  positive emotion.</p>
  
  <p>The world is full of things and it is our feelings that help us choose
  among them.”</p>
</blockquote>

<p>How correct is this statement from the perspective of psychology and neuroscience?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-22T17:48:08.307Z
I'm not sure about this particular statement, but regarding Lehrer, you should read his wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah_Lehrer less than stellar publication ethics. The book itself was recalled. I was doubting a different statement of his; see https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/19396/are-emotions-needed-to-make-decisions
got trolled too much this week
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-22T17:53:28.090Z
As to the hypothesis you ask about, it reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscious_thought_theory itself factually controversial, at least with respect to the optimality of such choices. It's probably less controversial that emotions are involved in such choices.
got trolled too much this week
<emotion><decision-making>
Does the subconscious mind communicate its analysis through emotions?
starikcetin
# Does the subconscious mind communicate its analysis through emotions?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-09-22)

I'm reading [this article](https://www.free-range-humans.com/choices/feelings/) by Marianne Cantwell, in the middle of the article, she quotes Jonah Lehrer's book *How We Decide*:

> “When a person is drawn to a specific item on the menu or a particular
> romantic prospect, the mind is trying to tell him that he should
> choose that option.
>
> It has already assessed the alternatives – this analysis takes place
> outside of conscious awareness – and converted that assessment into
> positive emotion.
>
> The world is full of things and it is our feelings that help us choose
> among them.”

How correct is this statement from the perspective of psychology and neuroscience?

**Tags:** emotion, decision-making

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm not sure about this particular statement, but regarding Lehrer, you should read his wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah_Lehrer less than stellar publication ethics. The book itself was recalled. I was doubting a different statement of his; see https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/19396/are-emotions-needed-to-make-decisions  
> **username_1**: As to the hypothesis you ask about, it reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscious_thought_theory itself factually controversial, at least with respect to the optimality of such choices. It's probably less controversial that emotions are involved in such choices.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-09-26. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

First, there's not complete agreement in psychology nor neuroscience: you can find support for most any imaginable position. But in terms of the consensus of recent peer-reviewed work, here are some thoughts.

> “When a person is drawn to a specific item on the menu or a particular romantic prospect, the mind is trying to tell him that he should choose that option."

There's a false dichotomy here between a person's motivation and some external (?) agent called "the mind". Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors emerge from biological and cognitive processes, and if you dig into those operations there is no level that reveals a separate agent. See this link for a related theory called the Homunculus <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Terminological_use_in_modern_science> , or chapter 2 of the book, [*Waking Up*](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774981-waking-up) by Sam Harris, for a deeper dive into agentic selves in the brain.

> "It has already assessed the alternatives – this analysis takes place outside of conscious awareness – and converted that assessment into positive emotion."

There were early reports of complex weighing of alternatives by unconscious minds by Dijksterhuis and others, but the higher-quality recent replication attempts suggest these claims were overblown. The unconscious mind may or may not be able to do basic arithmetic. That's the current level: nothing so fancy as suggested here. Recent coverage of this replication: <https://retractionwatch.com/2017/05/08/can-math-unconsciously-replicators-prominent-2012-study-doubts/>

> "The world is full of things and it is our feelings that help us choose among them.”

This is true, but is already well known. Feelings, thoughts, and motivations operate together to urge our organisms towards desired outcomes and away from unwanted outcomes. Here's an article that goes into more depth on how the body (including our mind) pursues desired states: <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00332747.1955.11022996>


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