Are You Rational or Emotional? Wise Mind Requires Both

Sherlock Holmes, the genius detective created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, once said this about emotions:

But love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things.

Another famously smart character, Mr. Spock, First Officer on the Starship Enterprise, had similar feelings towards feelings:

May I say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed serving with Humans? I find their illogic and foolish emotions a constant irritant.

Holmes and Spock declared emotions as foolish, frivolous things that cloud judgment and mess up the quest for truth.

On the other hand, real-life genius Albert Einstein took a kinder view of emotions:

Feeling and longing are the motive forces behind all human endeavor and human creations.

And Helen Keller, in true poetic form, said:

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

So, who's right? Is it better to be rational or emotional?

What if the answer is “both”?

Your “wise mind” is the intersection of your rational and emotional minds that allows you to make the most grounded, useful, and fulfilling life choices.

Today, we borrow again from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of the University of Washington and founder of the Linehan Institute. We will learn a skill for using your “wise mind,” the intersection of your rational and emotional minds that allows you to make the most grounded, useful, and fulfilling life choices.

Let’s start by looking at each of rational and emotional mind by themselves:

What is your rational mind?

Your rational mind is cool. It is logical, methodical, pragmatic. It operates based on facts, and it’s task-focused.

When you’re in your rational mind, you respond to reason. Values are not necessarily in focus right now, and emotions are not in play. This is a very useful state to be in during a crisis moment that requires you to stay narrowly focused and cool-headed. For example, if you’re defusing a bomb, it’s a good time to be in a rational mind state. The rational mind is also useful in many other situations, like when a scientist interprets data, a lawyer reviews a contract, or a parent considers a painful but life-saving treatment for their child.

This is a very useful state to be in during a crisis moment that requires you to stay narrowly focused and cool-...

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