Embodied Theory of Emotion

A theoretical perspective proposing that emotional experience emerges through interactions between cognitive processes and bodily states. Emotions involve partial simulations or reactivations of sensory, motor, and interoceptive systems, meaning that perceiving or experiencing emotions includes the re-enactment of physiological and bodily states. From this perspective, bodily sensations are not merely by-products of emotion but integral components of emotional experience itself.

Reference:

Niedenthal, P. M. (2007). Embodying emotion. Science, 316(5827), 1002-1005. https://www.doi.org/10.1126/science.1136930