Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
👋 Hey dumdums,
Last week, we explored how imagination lets you build different versions of the future.
This week, we’re talking about the thing that helps you choose which future to live in.
I was sitting with two project ideas.
One that looked smart with a tight deck, clear ROI, and zero chaos.
While the other looked… fun. Messy. Maybe even a little stupid.
And as I stared at them, I noticed something interesting.
My pulse didn’t race for the smart one as much as it did for the dumb one.
That racing of my pulse wasn’t any kind of anxiety.
But rather, as i saw it, it was meaningful information.
Emotion doesn’t tell you what’s right. It tells you what matters to you.
Angus Fletcher calls “emotion” the third pillar of his Primal Intelligence theory.
It’s the inner dashboard that measures meaning.
💡 What Primal Intelligence means by “Emotion”
Angus Fletcher argues that emotions aren’t messy interruptions to our brilliant thinking. That they’re the thinking itself, just written in sweat and heartbeats.
They don’t crunch numbers or build spreadsheets. They nudge, buzz, and occasionally scream, “Look here, dummy.”
Curiosity, anger, excitement, or dread shouldnt be seen as just random mood swings.
They’re actually your body’s version of push notifications. Only instead of “your package has shipped,” it’s “this could be life-changing.”
Emotions cut through the noise, highlighting what actually matters to you. Not what’s reasonable, but what’s real.
Emotions may not be perfect guides, but at least they’re honest.
That’s what makes emotion so useful. It’s the only feedback loop that runs through your head, your gut, and your heart (and sometimes all at once, sometimes in a bar fight).
🧩 How It Works (A Dumb-Science-Inspired Model)
Here’s one way to think about how emotion operates:
Your imagination generates options.
Each one activates a different emotional “ping.”Your body reacts.
Some options spark curiosity, others tension. The reaction is data, not necessarily destiny.You interpret the signal.
Ask: What is this feeling trying to tell me? Excitement might signal growth. Fear might signal risk, or opportunity.
Emotion doesn’t hand you answers. It gives you context.
⚙️ Why Emotion Matters
It filters the noise.
You can’t rationally rank everything. Emotion helps your brain triage.It connects logic and meaning.
Data says “this might work.” Emotion says “this would feel worth it.”It keeps you alive and adaptive.
Fear, joy, curiosity are all ancient guidance systems that evolved to help us move toward what nourishes and away from what harms.It drives courage, not comfort.
Fear isn’t a stop sign. It’s more of a flare. It tells you that something valuable is on the line.
Emotions aren’t about being safe or reckless, so much as they’re about sensing significance.
Dumb Word of the Day: Piloerection
(pie-low-ee-REK-shun) — yes, it sounds like a side effect you should call a doctor about, but it’s actually the scientific term for goosebumps.
Piloerection happens when tiny muscles at the base of your hair follicles contract, making your hair stand up, usually from cold, fear, awe, or that one song that somehow always wrecks you.
It’s your body’s way of saying, “Something’s happening. Pay attention.”
That’s what emotion is, really… an alert system in flesh form.
Every goosebump is a miniature intelligence flare. It’s proof that your body is tracking something meaningful before your mind can name it.
Let’s try using it in a sentence: “The presentation wasn’t perfect, but when the audience gasped, I got full-body piloerection. Which is my new KPI for emotional impact.”
(should you choose to accept it)
The Emotion Challenge
Next time you face a decision like a project, a pitch, a “maybe”… don’t start with pros and cons.
Start with sensations.
Think about each option one at a time.
Notice what your body does — tension, warmth, boredom, spark.
Don’t label them good or bad. Just ask: What are you trying to tell me?
The goal isn’t to obey your feelings. It’s to listen to them.
Emotion is intuition’s language, and sometimes it just needs a translator.
🎁 Wrapping it up
Intuition spots the weirdness.
Imagination makes it vivid.
Emotion tells you why it matters.
It’s not about comfort or fear. It’s about what it means to you.
And meaning is the only data that actually drives us.
So next time you feel a surge of something, whether it be curiosity, unease, joy, or dread, don’t fight it.
Ask it what it knows.
Next week: The fourth and final pillar, “Common Sense.”
AKA, the bridge that brings all three pillars back to earth.
Until then, let your emotions brief you before your brain edits them.
David 🎉
Dumbify: Dumb Ideas, Delivered Weekly (You’re Welcome).
