Research on brain-damaged patients has shown just how important emotional processes are in accessing "logical" knowledge. In this paper, Immordino-Yang and Damasio discuss the results of these studies and dive deeper into the moral, cultural, and creative implications of undervaluing emotional intelligence, including social behavior and decision-making. Navigating social responses are necessary to work, learn, and collaborate with others. At Plot Twisters, we are creating emotional literacy resources so people are more equipped to process their feelings and use them as tools for co-creation and self-governance.
The evidence from brain-damaged patients suggests... that emotion-related processes are required for skills and knowledge to be transferred from the structured school environment to real-world decision making because they provide an emotional rudder to guide judgment and action.
When we educators fail to appreciate the importance of students ’ emotions, we fail to appreciate a critical force in students ’ learning. One could argue, in fact, that we fail to appreciate the very reason that students learn at all.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is an educational psychologist at the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, and Antonio Damasio is a neuroscientist at the intersection of neurobiology and emotional intelligence.
References from past studies on adult patients and child patients for prefrontal cortex damage. Connected this to other research in emotional neuroscience.