A scientific hypothesis about the origin of human emotions. It is one of the earliest theories of emotions that modern psychology considers. It was developed independently by two scientists in the 1880s and 1890s, William James and Carl Lange. The hypothesis is based on the approach that emotions are caused exclusively by peripheral changes: external impressions cause a number of changes in the organism purely reflexively, bypassing the higher centers with which the processes of consciousness are connected. The subsequent awareness of these organic changes constitutes an emotion. According to this theory, we are sad because we cry; James-Lange’s theory has provoked criticism from other psychologists, which is manifested in the following statements:
1) Bodily reactions that arise during different emotions are very similar to each other, so they are insufficient to explain the diversity of emotions;
2) Artificially induced organic changes in a person are not always accompanied by emotional experiences. For example, if you shake your hand, then the emotion of fear will not arise.