We live in an emotional society. Don’t believe me? Go read through your Facebook news feed right now. Try to have a conversation with someone about the upcoming presidential election (actually don’t that may go badly). Or dare I say, how about those Starbucks red cups?

Emotion in many ways is a good thing. Showing positive emotion to your loved ones is important and can keep relationships strong. When we lose someone special to us there are many emotions we can feel and again this is a good thing.

Logic on the other hand is less present in our society. It is rare to see logic on social media or when discussing politics.

Decision making though, should always be based in logic, especially in business. Logic is about thinking. Emotion is about feeling. You can get into trouble if you make decisions based on feeling. You should always look at the evidence, but when overcome with emotion this can be really difficult.

Here are some reasons emotion often wins over logic:

• Emotion is more natural for most people, which makes it easier. We tend to act from our comfort zone and emotion is comfortable. And come on this is America, don’t we just love easy?
• Emotion gets more responses on social media. This is sad, but true. When you post something emotional people respond. Even if the response is negative, sometimes it feels good to get likes, comments, and re-tweets.
• Emotion gives you an excuse. We love excuses! Maybe you say something you shouldn’t say to someone and then later when you “feel” bad you may give a half-hearted apology followed by “I let my emotions get the best of me.” Guess what? This isn’t an excuse. There is no excuse for treating someone poorly. If you do than apologize with no excuses.
• Emotion for a lot of people can take the place of truth. Sometimes we really cannot handle the truth and so we use emotion to hide from it.
• Emotion creates our own reality. This allows us to operate outside of actual reality. This can make us “feel” good because reality can be scary.

Too much emotion is hurting us as a society. Social media isn’t a bad thing, but the way people use it is. It often becomes a platform for hate or for negativity. It can become a way for people to dump their crap on other people.

There is no place for emotion in business that’s for sure. There really isn’t a place for it in politics either. Emotion can lead to a lack of respect for other people and as leaders we are called to show everyone respect no matter our differences.

Here are some ways you can use logic rather than emotion:

• When speaking with someone use the phrase “I think” rather than “I feel”. This can change the conversation, at least on your end.
• Use your pause button more often. As human beings we have been given something no other mammal has, a pause button. We have the ability to stop and think before reacting. When we pause, we can use that time to think logically about the situation and then respond with logic rather than emotion. This will have a positive impact on your relationships.
• Do your best to look for evidence and use it. Facts are facts so we should use them. When we get emotional we tend to not rely on the facts.

What type of person are you? Logical? Or Emotional? This is not a post to put down those who are emotional (especially because this is the majority of people). This post is about understanding that there is a place for emotion and a place for logic.

Too much of anything typically equals something negative. Our strengths taken to excess become our weaknesses. I am typically a very logical person. I make decisions logically and often find it hard to put up with people who are emotional. My ability to think logically is a strength. But at times I overthink. And I sometimes find it difficult to show emotion even when the situation calls for it. This is a weakness.

Maybe you are the opposite. You are great at showing emotion, but not great at logic. What is important is that we recognize our weaknesses.

As a society we must take responsibility and use our brains more often. This will lead us to more productive and civil discussions. It will aid us in decision making. It can change the face of social media.

So here’s my challenges for you:

• Look back at all your social media accounts over the past month. If you have posted anything emotional, delete it. Then think of how you could have posted that in a logical way. (I will be doing this one!)
• Think about the most recent major decision you have made. Did you make it based on logic or emotion? How could you have made the decision in a different way and could it have changed the result?
• Reflect on a relationship that has soured due to your emotions or even the other persons. How can you improve the relationship using logic?

Logic and emotion are behaviors. We have developed these over time based on our conditioning. It is possible to change behaviors.

The solution is simple. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Don’t do the same things and expect different results. That’s insane.