Matters of the Heart

摘要

Cardiology tells us that the heart is a pump, a complex but unfeeling piece of machinery that sustains and regulates the circulation of the blood. Cultural traditions from around the world, by contrast, suggest that the heart is the seat of the emotions. Language, both mundane and poetic, has many terms that link the heart and the emotions, not least the English adjective "heartfelt." A heartfelt emotion is sincere, impassioned, and deeply rooted in the psyche of one who experiences it. The word heartfelt has positive emotional connotations, while heartless has negative ones.