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.

A theory stating that emotional experiences are made up of mental processes and bodily reactions. When we experience emotions, our thoughts and bodily reactions respond in kind - how we think affects how we feel. As such, bodily reactions are part of, not just an outcome, of an emotional experience. The emotional experience is felt right down to our bodily sensations - it is a necessary part of what an emotional experience is.

Reference:

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