What is the Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion?

And Why is it so Important?

Where do our emotions come from? What is it about the human body and mind that has the capacity to form emotions and reactions to such a variety of situations? Even more important, why do we form these emotions? Are they simply a function of our minds reacting, or do they also deal with physiological responses by the body. Although these may seem to be current questions, they really are not, and they have been asked for hundreds of years. Of course, in the hundreds of years that they questions have been asked, many theories and possible answers have also been proposed. It is also worth noting that many of these theories in question have also been largely disproved or at least not considered to contain relevant information. However, one such theory that has retained prominence even to do this day is known as the "Cannon-Bard Theory", and it proposes some truly revolutionary ideas regarding emotion.

Before we begin discussing Cannon-Bard, though, it becomes very important to know that the Cannon-Bard theory was actually developed as a reaction to an earlier philosophy. One of the earliest, and best known, theories of emotion, named the James-Lange Theory, inspired Walter Cannon and Phillip Bard to create and propose their own theory. In essence, the James-Lange theory was the idea that the emotions are a response to what is happening by the body. So, if we were to run from something out of fear, the running would occur first and then the fear would be realized secondary. While the James-Lange theory may have been interesting when it was first conceived, the Cannon-Bard theory attempts to improve upon and correct the ideas that could be found in that theory.