Thanks Al. I think you're right about interpretations happening lightning fast and, at least in some situations, maybe unconsciously. I also completely agree that the feelings are typically left out of the equation in many descriptions of thinking. I do think it's important which comes first--feeling or interpretations--since, if interpretations come first, then we can use tools like cognitive behavioral therapy to stop and look at how we interpret things and how those interpretations trigger feelings, and consider alternative perspectives in order to modiy our behavior that might flow from those initial feelings. I speak as the husband of a woman who I believe has borderline personality disorder, which is an emotional disorder, so the topic is close to home for me. Have you read "How We Decide" by Jonah Lehrer? It's a fascinating and highly readable neuroscientific perspective on the critical role of our feelings in our ability to make decisions, and how our feelings and our reason can (at the best of times) work together. A popular treatment for borderline personality disorder called dialectical behavior therapy calls this "wise mind" (the effective interaction of "reason mind" and "emotion mind"). Best wishes, John