ABSTRACT
For centuries, scholars assumed that cognition and emotion were separable. Although cognition could trigger emotional responses and emotional processing could influence cognitive thought, the two types of processes were considered to be non-overlapping and distinct (Aristotle, trans. 1991; Plato, trans. 1992). Moreover, in the instances where interactions between emotion and cognition were thought to occur, the effects were assumed to be opposing. Emotional processes were thought to hijack cognitive ones, making individuals prone to irrationality. Conversely, rational thought was believed to curtail emotional processing.
