/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10041552
There is a set of rare conditions that more or less causes this, usually they involve interruption of communication between the frontal cortex and the rest of the brain.

While this damage doesn't cause any reduction in IQ, it does, more or less, leave the individual non-functional. Without emotions, humans are incapable of making even the simplest decisions, and the less important the decision is, the more options available, the harder it is to make. They basically get stuck in "analyses loops" and are helpless when it comes to, for instance, picking which serial to buy. While their IQ's still measure normally, this usually brings them to the point where they are declared non-competent and have to be institutionalized.

Emotions are a key component to the decision making process. Suppressing them is one thing, but not having access to them at all basically destroys your ability to choose. (This may also be why some of the best leaders in history have also been described as among the most passionate.)

Expert systems like Watson have "hunch" functions that act much like human emotions, to allow them to make "best guesses" when pressed for time. Unlike Watson, humans need to do this pretty much constantly, as their referencing system is conceptual, rather than digital.

Radiolab did an interesting little take on one such extreme case study:
https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/audio.wnyc.org/radiolab/radiolab111408.mp3
Sadly I canna find the transcript, so skip to ~20:38.