Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

A theory of emotions developed by Water Cannon and Phillip Bard that claims that autonomic feedback is not necessary for emotional feelings. Rather, feelings and physiological responses are independent components of emotion. Emotional stimuli are processed in the brain, which then separately generates both bodily responses and feelings. Unlike the James-Lange Theory of Emotions, the Cannon-Bard Theory argues against emotion-specific visceral patterns – stating instead that emotions have highly similar autonomic responses. Autonomic changes occur too slowly to account for emotional feelings, which rapidly erupt in response to emotional stimuli. Cannon also argued that visceral organs have insufficient afferent nerves to account for conscious differences in emotional experience.

Reference:
Friedman, B. H. (2010). Feelings and the body: the Jamesian perspective on autonomic specificity of emotion. Biological Psychology, 84(3), 383-393. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.10.006.