Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

A theory of emotions developed by Water Cannon and Phillip Bard that claims that autonomic feedback is not necessary for emotional feelings. Rather, feelings and physiological responses are independent components of emotion. Emotional stimuli are processed in the brain, which then separately generates both bodily responses and feelings. Unlike the James-Lange Theory of Emotions, the Cannon-Bard Theory argues against emotion-specific visceral patterns – stating instead that emotions have highly similar autonomic responses. Autonomic changes occur too slowly to account for emotional feelings, which rapidly erupt in response to emotional stimuli. The theory also argued that visceral organs have insufficient afferent nerves to account for conscious differences in emotional experience.

A theory of emotions that distinguishes personal feeling states from our body's response to emotions. Both how we feel and how the body responds to our feeling states are separate processes that occur together, and make up emotion. The theory claims that bodily responses are automatic and happen quickly - far quicker than we can process them. Historically, this theory was also known as the 'thalamic theory of emotion' because it originally claimed that a brain region called the thalamus was the main trigger for emotions. Modern science, however, now shows that a much wider network of the brain is involved.

Reference:

Friedman, B. H. (2010). Feelings and the body: the Jamesian perspective on autonomic specificity of emotion. Biological Psychology, 84(3), 383-393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.10.006