Paradox is not an emotion. Much like cognitive dissonance, it starts with thinking but brings in emotion as we start to feel the tension and pull of different ideas. In the case of paradox, our brain wants to solve the puzzle. However, paradoxes can’t be fully resolved using rationality and logic—we need to allow the seeming contradictions to coexist in order to gain deeper understanding. In this way, paradoxes force us to think in expansive ways and lean into vulnerability.
