Editing Feeling (section)

==Definitions and distinctions==
In psychology and philosophy, ''feeling'' is commonly defined as the subjective experience of emotion or sensation. Although the terms ''feeling'', ''emotion'', ''affect'', and ''mood'' are sometimes used interchangeably in everyday language, they have distinct meanings in academic contexts.

According to psychologist [[Carroll Izard]], feelings are best understood as the conscious experience of [[emotion]], arising when an [[Affect (psychology)|affective state]] reaches [[awareness]].{{sfnp|Izard|1977}} [[William James]] similarly proposed that feelings result from the [[Interoception|perception of bodily changes]] in response to external stimuli, thus forming part of the emotional process.{{sfnp|James|1884}} More recently, affective neuroscientist [[Jaak Panksepp]] hypothesized the role of [[subcortex|subcortical brain systems]] in generating ''core affects'' that underlie both feelings and emotions.{{sfnp|Panksepp|1998}}

[[Lisa Feldman Barrett]] argues that affect is most likely innate in mammals (and possibly all vertebrates), whereas [[emotion]]s are constructed [[mental representation]]s that emerge from the brain's interpretation of [[interoceptive]] prediction signals combined with past experience (organized as concepts) and signals from the outside world.{{sfnp|Barrett|2017}} In philosophical psychology, particularly in the work of [[Carl Jung]], ''feeling'' is considered one of the [[Jungian cognitive functions|four primary functions]] of consciousness, alongside [[thinking]], [[Sensation (psychology)|sensation]], and [[intuition]]. Unlike emotions, which are often reactive, Jung defined feeling as a rational function that evaluates and assigns value.{{sfnmp|1a1=Jung|1y=1971|2a1=Sharp|2y=1987}}

''Feeling'' also differs from sensation: while sensation refers to raw sensory input (such as touch, heat, or [[pain]]), feelings involve evaluative or affective [[judgement]]s about those sensations or experiences. Similarly, ''[[Mood (psychology)|moods]]'' are typically more diffuse and long-lasting affective states, while feelings tend to be more transient and directly tied to particular events or thoughts. These distinctions are foundational in fields such as [[affective science]], [[philosophy of mind]], and [[cognitive psychology]], where the term ''feeling'' plays a central role in understanding [[consciousness]], subjectivity, and emotional life.{{sfnmp|1a1=Panksepp|1y=1998|2a1=Ekkekakis|2y=2013|3a1=Lewis|3a2=Haviland-Jones|3a3=Barrett|3y=2016}}

Neuroscientist [[Antonio Damasio]] distinguishes between emotions and feelings: Emotions are mental images (i.e. representing either internal or external states of reality) and the bodily changes accompanying them, whereas feelings are the perception of bodily changes. In other words, emotions contain a subjective element and a third-person observable element, whereas feelings are subjective and private.{{sfnmp|1a1=Damasio|1y=1994|1p={{Page needed | date = March 2023}}|2a1=Damasio|2y=1999|2p={{Page needed | date = March 2023}}}}