let's start with the common sense view in this view a stimulus prompts an emotion which in turn prompts some bodily arousal so in this case a frightening spectacle pills are willing with fear which makes him sweat and makes his heart rate rise in the mid-1880s two scholars William James and Karl Lane independently came up with similar theories that contradicted this common-sense view James and Lang both suggested that instead of emotions causing bodily arousal bodily arousal causes emotions so to return to our previous example that would mean that the sight of the hero on his threshold makes our villains heart beat faster his hands tremble and his palms sweat and these physiological changes caused him to feel fear but this theory is vulnerable to a few criticisms first it is possible to have physiological arousal without any accompanied emotion for instance your palms might sweat because it's hot but that's what won't make you feel nervous just kind of gross second physiological changes can be too slow to proceed the conscious experience of emotion our villain might feel scared as soon as he sees our hero but it might take a few seconds for him to start sweating third the same set of physiological responses are associated with very different emotional experiences a faster heart rate could mean fear but it could also mean anger or surprise or joy finally there is evidence that physiological feedback is not necessary for emotion for example patients with spinal cord injuries who have lost most of their physiological feedback still experience the same emotions as before however in the james-lange theories favor there is notably some slight evidence of dissipation in their emotional reactions