Heart vs Mind-Who to Listen?
Your presence here ensures that you want the answer to the never-ending debate of heart vs mind too. Well, trust me on this one, I’ve always been looking for that answer too. And, the best conclusion I was able to make is that it depends upon the comprehension of each individual.
But, there is still something amazingly great hidden in it.
Before starting, I want to make one thing clear here with all honesty that I am not a certified psychologist or so. However, this article is based completely upon my personal experiences backed up by research.
You will be able to take away a practically realistic way of choosing between heart versus mind by the end of this blog.
Let’s dive in!
Heart vs Mind – Different Viewpoints
There are several points of view when it comes to the heart vs mind debate. Let’s shortlist them under three categories:
- One should always listen to the heart because it tells you what your inner self truly wants. (But, what about the mind?)
- You must listen to your mind because it tells you about the logical reasoning behind making that decision. (Ummm, but the heart…?)
- Listen to both, depending upon the situation. (Nice, but how?)
Did you also think about the questions for each category written in the brackets? If you did, a virtual high five. We are on the same page so far.
Which one do I agree with? All three of them. However, there is a slight difference of approach to make it practical.
What is your current choice from these three categories? Note it down somewhere. And see if it changes a little by the end of it.
Let’s look at some pairs
So, now we are going to take a look at some of the elements that occur in pairs. One of them will be the abstraction of that element. And the other will be that every element.
You can understand it as the cause-and-effect pairs. Following are those two pairs:
· Intuition and heart
What is intuition? Let’s take a scenario. Have you ever felt a feeling of danger or fearfulness before anything occurred? And, after some time that feeling turns to some true incident. Did you?
That was your heart, telling you something about the future before it happens. Yes, we humans can predict the future to a great extent. Many psychologists back it up by saying that we live in predictive life mode. (More on it, someday later).
If that feeling was from your heart, where does the intuition comes from? Exactly your heart.
There are many contradictions around this point of view. Some people associate intuition with the mind. Certain psychologist thinks that intuition is related to the soul. And, a couple of them agree with it being related to the heart.
However, my personal belief stands with the intuition and heart being related to one another. This is the research by HeartMath Institute to back up this idea. Do visit it if you want to gain more information.
So, intuition comes from the heart. Let’s look at the second pair.
· Consciousness and Brain
As we all know, the brain is an important part of our bodies. We credit a lot to our brain for making us humans conscious.
So, what’s consciousness? It’s the ability to comprehend and be aware of one’s actions and emotions. It’s a magical gift of the universe that is bestowed on every human.
We all are conscious to a certain extent. This consciousness allows us to be social and emotional beings.
Well, psychologists agree with the consciousness being associated with the brain. It can be in the lame terms defined as the thought processes that drive our life by our will.
If you want to physically point out where does the consciousness in the brain occurs, visit this amazing article by VisibleBody. Take a look at all those 3D models to enhance your understanding of the consciousness and brain.
(Well, an off-the-topic question. Doesn’t it make you feel so grateful to have such a complicated and incredible existence within you?)
Heart vs Mind OR Intuition vs Consciousness
Since we have seen that intuition relates to the heart. And consciousness relates to the brain. It won’t be saying wrong that the actual comparison of heart vs mind is intuition versus consciousness.
Many people don’t talk in terms of it. The idea of taking the heart versus mind debate in its raw form makes it unsolvable. Instead, if we take it in this processed form, such that intuition versus consciousness, you can already feel about your inclination. (Don’t you?)
Just a quick recap, intuition is something that you feel. The ability to comprehend something without the involvement of consciousness in it.
Consciousness is the ability to understand and direct your actions and emotions with complete awareness of them.
So, consciousness is not involved in intuition. So, are they not relatable? Hang with me for some time. Surely I’ll answer this question for you.
Logic and Emotions
Let’s break one more myth here.
When people talk about following the heart, they mean to follow your emotions. When they say that follow your mind, they mean to follow the logic. Right?
But, what if I tell you that it makes no sense? I am sure it sounds weird. So, let me give you the psychological evidence to support that.
Emotions are the physical experiences felt by you due to certain changes and transmissions in your brain. So, how are emotions even linked with the heart?
Now you know that logic and emotions both are associated with the brain.
Next comes the feeling. The feeling is experiencing those emotions with full awareness. Every person has a different feeling for the same thing.
For instance, whenever you experience a situation, you define it distinctively. Another person might define that same situation in an opposite sense. The emotion may be the same, but the feelings associated are different. Because you are different.
Where do we feel the feeling? In the heart. Though the feeling is also related to the experience with an awareness. So, it involves consciousness as well.
Now here is the answer to your question (Are intuition and consciousness even linked?).
They are relatable. You cannot experience a feeling without any emotion. And you cannot experience an emotion without the physical reactions due to the transmissions and hormones of the brain.
So, what are we trying to compete with when both of them are inseparable in every way?
Here is an amazingly researched blog by OImotions to back it up.
So, who to choose?
It’s been a lot of psychological discussions and evidence. Coming back to the main question, who to choose between the heart and the mind?
Choose both!
Will it be okay to give up your one hand so that you get to keep the other hand when no one even asked you for that? Sounds insane, right?
Then why are you ready to give up one of the major components that allow you to be you? There is no logic. And no emotion to that.
You can never make a good decision if it does not involve the heart and mind both in it.
How to do that? The next heading has got the answer for it.
What’s the process?
If you want to make a good decision with the involvement of both heart and mind, Where is the secret key? (Drumrolls, please)
“Let your heart guide what to choose. Let your mind guide how to choose.
So, let me explain it a bit. Take the decision that feels right to you. The decision that somewhere in your body around your heart gives you the feeling of happy butterflies. That decision which you feel is from you within you.
But, don’t execute that decision using that very feeling only. To make any path progressive and directed, you need awareness (focus, you may call it). So, let your mind guide you along the way.
The simplest version of it would be: Let your heart do the initialization of the choice. Let your mind complete it.
That’s the easiest and most realistic way to do it. Isn’t it?
An important thing
A very important thing which if not included, won’t be fair.
Since the involvement of heart and mind both are important in taking any decision, make sure they are yours.
Many times, what happens is that either the heart is ours, but we let the mind of others guide us through it. Or it’s the heart of others, and we use our mind to guide it.
It may sound like pushing each other together to the heights. But, it’s not.
Taking help from others. And letting others hold you from the finger and take you along the whole path are two different things.
You have to make sure that whatever you choose is from within you. The process you decide to walk on is thought on by you. Be grateful to the people who support you along.
This approach not only allows you to gift the world the magic of uniqueness you have but lowers the bars of expectation forming a significant source of happiness and satisfaction.
And, don’t forget to be grateful to your heart and mind.
So, let me make it in the shortest form:
Your heart (Choose) + Your mind (Guide) = YOUR Choice!
Conclusion
All of us fall into the debate of choosing between mind and heart. But, we do not need to choose anyone when we can choose both. Let the heart start the process and let the mind complete it.
This blog concluded with the real answer to this heart vs mind debate backed up by psychological research.
So, who will you listen to, Your heart or your mind? (Or both 😉)