As I sat down to watch The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, a film that dives into the curious mind of artist Louis Wain — who was captivated by electricity and its mysteries — I found myself pondering a question that had been simmering in my thoughts for some time: What if our emotions, those profound and often uncontrollable aspects of our being, were not just chemical reactions but something more — something electrical?

Louis Wain’s fascination with electricity, his belief that it was an invisible force shaping not just our lives but our very emotions, sparked a thought experiment in my mind. What if he was onto something? What if love, anger, joy, and fear could be understood through the lens of electricity? This question led me down a path of exploration, where I connected dots between seemingly disparate ideas — Wain’s eccentric theories, the phenomenon of sonoluminescence, and even the ancient belief in the healing power of sound. This journey of thought has culminated in what I now call the Emotelectric Theory.

The essence of this theory is simple yet potentially profound: emotions are not just feelings but distinct electrical charges within the human body. Love and joy? Think of them as positively charged electricity. Anger and fear? Negatively charged electricity. It’s a concept that suggests our emotional state operates much like an electrical system, with thoughts acting as the conductors or insulators that modulate the flow and intensity of this emotional “current.”

Using the theory, could all emotions be seen as lying on a spectrum of electrical charges (positive vs negative)? With the addition or removal of electrons being the “deeper” way to measure states?

But this theory doesn’t just stop at identifying emotions as electrical charges. It opens up a new ways to potentially understand and manage our emotional health — what I would like to call Electro Emotional Health (the name is a work-in-progress).

Electro Emotional Health

Imagine a world where we can detect and even influence these emotional charges, where we can balance our inner electrical system to achieve emotional well-being (and no, not with Electro Convulsive Therapy). It’s not as far-fetched as it might seem. Consider the phenomenon of sonoluminescence, where sound waves cause tiny bubbles in water to collapse, emitting flashes of light. If sound can influence light in such a profound way, what might it do to the electrical charges within our bodies?

In some esoteric circles, it’s long been believed that sound waves can heal the body, aligning our “internal vibrations” with “frequencies” that promote health. The idea that ancient civilizations, like the Egyptians, may have understood and utilized this concept with their monumental structures only adds to the intrigue.

Now, what if we could harness this understanding in a modern context? By exploring the relationship between sound, electricity, and emotions, we could potentially develop new therapies for emotional regulation and mental health.

Emotelectric Theory is still in its infancy, a seed of an idea planted by curiosity and nurtured by cross-disciplinary thinking. But the implications are vast. If we can prove that emotions are tied to specific electrical charges, could we revolutionize how we approach mental health, offering more precise and effective treatments? It could lead to a new era where we don’t just treat the symptoms of emotional imbalance but address the underlying electrical currents that drive them.

The road ahead is long, and there is much to explore and validate. But as Louis Wain might have said, every great discovery starts with a spark of electricity, a flash of insight that illuminates the darkness. Emotelectric Theory is that spark for me, and I’m excited to see where it leads.

So, as you go about your day, I invite you to entertain this thought experiment and consider your emotions — not just as fleeting feelings but as electrical currents flowing within you. What charges are you carrying? How are your thoughts conducting or insulating these currents? And most importantly, how can we harness this understanding to improve our Electro Emotional Health?

The journey has just begun for me. I look forward to finding others who may see the potential in this line of thinking, and possibly contribute further. Perhaps it may even spark further ideas!