Heart or Head

One of the questions I have a hard time answering, given only two choices, is: "Are you governed by your heart or your head?"

How would you personally answer this question? How do you make your decisions?

Actually, I've come to understand recently that in Old Testament times, the heart was viewed as being our intellectual hub, not the head.

But if you're asking whether we tend to be governed by our head or by our emotions, it really depends on the situation for me. I have a tendency to be guided by impulse at times, and other times I'm very rational and thoughtful about things.

Quite often my heart tries to drag me off, but then my head is like, "Hold on. Let's think about this."

It's kind of like one of those cop movies where the two partners hate each other, but they have to work together.

That is a good point Miss Spaulding, I was thinking of that as well. I think we can follow Christ by using those aspects of our personality (our strengths or weaknesses) and then basing our ultimate decisions on what God wants no matter how we feel or think.


My answer: I think I'm governed by my heart initially.. but I weigh everything in my head before making decision. So sometimes my decisions are not based on feeling at all in the end; except for knowing I made the right decision. At the same time I don't think I could make big decisions with just my head if in my heart I don't agree. So I guess I use them about the same. Externally it may appear to others that I just use my head because I try to keep my emotions to myself.

I really love the movie Sense and Sensibility. There are two sisters. One governed by her heart, her emotions; and the other sister is governed by her head. They don't really understand each other in that aspect.

Spoiler:

A little of both but more often than not I follow my heart. It doesn't make any logical sense to fall in love with a girl who lives halfway across the country, move to a random state with no contacts, or randomly take a job at a local church without knowing much about it. In the end God used those all for good and I would have missed out on so much if I let my head talk me out of it. Yes, common sense is important but too much thinking will keep you from taking the real chances that can pay off.

Other. What governs me is largely a combination of moral code and, to a degree, circumstances. My head generally wins when I have to make decisions that can't be a matter of both head and heart. My imagination, however, tends to focus on heart stuff that extreme head types wouldn't understand. I guess you could say that my head gives my heart room to play by keeping me out of trouble. That's logical, I suppose, but not Spock logical.

I think it depends on the situation. When it comes to life I'm very logical about things, but when it comes to love I am very emotional.

What's dumb about me is that big, life-altering decisions (marriage, jobs, relocation, etc.) are easy for me to make, yet deciding what t-shirt to buy at Target will take me 15 minutes. No idea what that's about.

I hope to God this doesn't sound like boasting. But there is something in me that's above both heart and head. It's what convicts me to do things I don't always feel like doing. I don't think it comes from me, if you know what I'm saying.

Id like to start using my heart a lot more. Iv used my head for 28 years and sometimes I think, iv over used my head.

Dandelions in the Rain wrote:

One of the questions I have a hard time answering, given only two choices, is: "Are you governed by your heart or your head?"

How would you personally answer this question? How do you make your decisions?

I lead with my heart, I make decisions with my head.

There is usually only one thing that can over ride when I have made up my mind however and that is my heart.

After all, the mind is only going on what it knows at the moment. The heart trusts in something more.

What's with the "Other" option? Can I vote for my spleen or something?

Thunder Peel wrote:

What's with the "Other" option? Can I vote for my spleen or something?

If you wish. Fozzy would say Mr Bimble, the man who lives in his finger.


I tried to change "other" to "both" or "neither" but it was too late.
I'm one who tends to hate just two choices on something like this which is why I had to include "other". Perhaps that means my polls aren't very decisive.

technically, your emotions are controlled by your brain....so...yeah.

I'm definitely a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, lives in the moment and does things on a whim. Such a life is very fun and interesting. Not that I don't plan for the future or anything like that. I'm also a very intelligent man. But my heart always wins over my head, which is why I often consult my closest friends before making major decisions to get solid, Godly advice and to make sure I'm not just going by impulse.