I've noticed during the last 2 decades especially, (but it has probably been happening since Freud started going on about them) the focus on emotions as the primary driver of human experience. We are taught to focus on our emotions, through school, media, work, self help, psychiatry among others avenues.
Emotional thinking short circuits rational thought, it will in all people, but some people have trained themselves to stop, and look at what is actually happening in order to help be calm and find solutions to whatever problems they may be facing.
I really noticed this with my kids when they started school. The teachers constantly emphasized emotions. I think to some extent it is good to be able to recognize and name emotions, but that was almost all they were taught. Since I noticed that I started teaching them not to be victims. To look at what is happening around them, identify the problems and come up with solutions. I've been teaching them logic, cause and effect, faith in God and to fear not. Ive also been reading a lot of classic stoic texts. I especially recommend Epictetus, he is insightful and hilarious.
This has bled throughout Western culture, and why you see 30 year olds acting like petulant, entitled, little brat 3 year olds. They have been infantilizing us for generations. Thank God there are still some of us who aren't 40 year old babies.
I remember in a basic cognitions course they taught us about how when the emotional parts of your brain are active, the rational tend to be less active and vice versa. All of this is well established, and yet they hope we never figure out the trick when they start playing the sad piano music during their propaganda and all the usual brainwashing.
The sad music, whether it plays when showing the zebra getting taken down or when they show the starving lion pride dictates what "side" we should cheer for during any given documentary.
Truman Show really put a spotlight on that for me back in the day.
I'm waiting for the day when it gets used while a "news" reporter is talking.
Conditioned for rights to end, where feelings begin.
Its the ultimate ad hominem attack, don't take any notice of what they say or think, attack the perceived feelings behind it and pathologise them.
There are not a lot of defences to that, especially if you are young and green.