Understanding Emotions

Cognition (Latin: cogito, "to think") is a facility for the intelligent processing of information. It refers to the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension, including thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and problem solving. It encompasses language, imagination, perception, action, problem solving, mental imagery and planning. Cognition is an information processing system which recognizes the environment, understand it by comparing it with the stored mental representations of experiences, and derive logical conclusions out of it, guiding us in taking decisions. Cognition also recollects earlier experiences. In the process of cognition the nature of value creates impression on our emotion. Relating to earlier experience the cognition evokes emotional contents.

In the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, social value has direct relationship with the design process.  To ‘hold a value’ is to have a ‘favourable attitude towards its realization’, Values resemble ‘preference’ or ‘desire’. They often are associated with strong feelings, which offer no general rationale. In fact that is the reason it is one of the most complex and challenging areas. Tradition, culture, social values, etc are directly responsible in ‘holding value’. Such values are the sources of human emotion. Color has especial reference to such value system.

Emotions

All living organisms have perceptive mechanisms, which are a part of the cognitive system, that allow them to recognize and understand those stimuli that are significant for their survival or in other words favourable to the organism, stimuli that help them to obtain food, to be protected from attacks, etc. But perception only solves a part of the survival problem, because perception just recognizes the stimuli and identifies them. But that is not enough for living beings survival. They also need to know if the perceived (recognized) stimuli are useful and favourable to them.

• Emotion has positive and negative effect on our mind.
• ‘Positive emotion’ we refer to- happiness, satisfaction, joy, desire, peace, etc.
• ‘Negative emotion’ refers to sadness, disillusion, sorrow, anguish, etc.
• Conditions change due to various societal or personal reasons.