Should I Use My Brain or My Heart? Brain-heart Dualism and Its Advantages in Intellectual and Experiential Domains

Dual process theories contend that the self has at least two distinct processing modes. One prominent theory describes these modes as rational and experiential, which is a formulation that overlaps considerably with conceptual metaphors for the head (rational) and heart (experiential). Because the two processing modes operate in distinct manners, the self could, potentially, recruit processing modes in a strategic manner. Such considerations led to two studies (total N = 455) in which participants were asked to indicate how much of their self typically exists in their brain and heart areas of their bodies while performing a diverse set of daily activities. These responses permitted a calculation of brain-heart dualism, defined in terms of a within-subject correlation of self-in-brain and self-in-heart estimates across activities. Participants whose self-representations suggested a self that can move up or down within its body, in a manner conducive to context, displayed higher levels of intellectual performance (e.g. as evident in high school GPAs) as well as higher levels of experiential ability (e.g. as evident on an emotional intelligence task). The research identifies a new set of individual differences that allow individuals to match processing mode to the situation at hand.