Emotion, Reason and 
the Human Brain

Language and emotion are fundamental to human nature. The relationship between language, cognition and emotion is of major importance if we wish to grasp that nature. Emotions are decisive in our thinking and acting, and determine our interpretation and evaluation of interactants and situations in any communicative setting. Emotion studies began as a field of study in philosophy. The term 'emotion' itself entered the field in the nineteenth century. Seventeenth-century philosophers talked about 'passion' and 'affect', while eighteenth-century academics preferred to write about 'sentiments'. All emotions are 'bodily or rather have a 'bodily state'. Somatic markers are a necessary criterion for making a decision, directing attention to alternatives and biasing the brain towards one of the alternative decisions. Studies focusing on the lexicon and emotions are most salient. All languages seem to have literal and figurative expressions for emotions. Some studies focus on words denoting or referring to emotions.