ABSTRACT
Emotions are perceived and our feelings are constructed cognitively. Thinking about cognition is metacognition, and we can define emotion metaperception as thinking about emotions. Metacognition has been written about extensively by Nobel-prize winning Daniel Kahneman, who has created semantic constructs termed System 1 and System 2 that represent two major patterns of thinking – instinctual (“fast” or System 1 thinking) and more logical and conscious (“slow” or System 2 thinking). Emotion metacognition can also have “fast” and “slow” components, and parsing out these details corresponds to the skill of emotional intelligence as put forth by Drs. Peter Salovey and David Caruso. Illusory emotions provide examples of fast and slow emotion processing, emphasizing the power of emotions and why they should not be ignored. Creating a habit of emotional logic based on perceived emotions, fast and slow, will help doctors and patients interact with more precision.
