Sentiment vs. Sensation — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 8, 2024
Sentiment involves emotional interpretations or feelings, focusing on subjective experiences; sensation refers to the physical process of sensory reception, emphasizing objective perception.
Difference Between Sentiment and Sensation
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Sentiment is primarily about emotional responses and personal feelings towards situations, ideas, or objects. On the other hand, sensation deals with the direct inputs received through the senses, such as touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing, which are processed by the nervous system.
While sentiments are influenced by individual experiences, cultural backgrounds, and personal biases, making them highly subjective and varied across different people, sensations are universal biological responses to environmental stimuli, such as heat, light, or sound, which are more consistent among humans.
Sentiment can be expressed in various forms such as happiness, sadness, anger, or love, each colored by personal interpretation and emotional depth. Whereas sensations are straightforward experiences like the coldness of ice, the sweetness of sugar, or the loudness of a sound, which do not carry emotional weight.
The perception of a sentiment can change over time as one's experiences and attitudes evolve. Conversely, sensation remains relatively stable over time unless there is a change in biological or environmental factors affecting sensory perception.
Sentiment often requires a cognitive element to process and interpret emotional significance, implicating higher brain functions. Sensation, however, primarily involves the sensory organs and the immediate neural responses to external stimuli, functioning at a more basic biological level.
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Comparison Chart
Nature
Emotional, subjective
Physical, objective
Dependence
Influenced by personal experiences
Driven by environmental stimuli
Expression
Can be varied (e.g., love, anger)
Consistent (e.g., hot, loud)
Stability
Can change with experience
Generally stable unless altered
Cognitive Involvement
High, requires interpretation
Low, direct neural response
Compare with Definitions
Sentiment
A refined or tender emotion.
The sentiment expressed in the letter moved her to tears.
Sensation
A state of great interest and excitement.
His sudden appearance at the party caused a sensation.
Sentiment
A romantic or nostalgic feeling.
Old songs often evoke a strong sentiment of the past.
Sensation
Immediate awareness of sensory stimuli.
A sensation of warmth spread through his hands as he held the mug.
Sentiment
A complex accumulation of feelings and beliefs.
National events often stir a strong sentiment of patriotism.
Sensation
A physical feeling resulting from something that happens to or comes into contact with the body.
She felt a sharp sensation of pain in her knee.
Sentiment
An emotional response influenced by individual experiences.
The film elicited a deep sentiment of sadness among the audience.
Sensation
A simple awareness due to stimulation of a sense organ.
The sensation of taste is influenced by both smell and texture.
Sentiment
An attitude towards something; regard; opinion.
His sentiment towards the project was overwhelmingly positive.
Sensation
An experience that is thrilling or sensational.
The movie was a sensation, offering a visual feast that captivated audiences.
Sentiment
A thought, view, or attitude, especially one based mainly on emotion instead of reason
An anti-American sentiment swept through the country.
Sensation
A perception associated with stimulation of a sense organ or with a specific body condition
The sensation of heat.
A visual sensation.
Sentiment
Emotion; feeling
Different forms of music convey different kinds of sentiment.
Sensation
The faculty to feel or perceive; physical sensibility
The patient has very little sensation left in the right leg.
Sentiment
Tender or romantic feeling
Felt strong sentiment for each other.
Sensation
An indefinite generalized body feeling
A sensation of lightness.
Sentiment
Maudlin emotion; sentimentality
"He called her 'beloved madame,' and many other endearments, delivered with gallant mushiness, irony damascened with sentiment" (Robert D. Richardson).
Sensation
A state of heightened interest or emotion
"The anticipation produced in me a sensation somewhat between bliss and fear" (James Weldon Johnson).
Sentiment
The thought or emotion that underlies a remark or gesture
The child's gift was ridiculous, but the sentiment behind it moved the mother to tears.
Sensation
A state of intense public interest and excitement
"The purser made a sensation as sailors like to do, by predicting a storm" (Evelyn Waugh).
Sentiment
The expression of delicate and sensitive feeling, especially in art and literature.
Sensation
A cause of such interest and excitement
The band's new singer is a sensation.
Sentiment
A general thought, feeling, or sense.
The sentiment emerged that we were acting too soon.
Sensation
A physical feeling or perception from something that comes into contact with the body; something sensed.
Sentiment
(uncountable) Feelings, especially tender feelings, as apart from reason or judgment, or of a weak or foolish kind.
Sensation
A widespread reaction of interest or excitement.
Sentiment
A thought prompted by passion or feeling; a state of mind in view of some subject; feeling toward or respecting some person or thing; disposition prompting to action or expression.
The word sentiment, agreeably to the use made of it by our best English writers, expresses, in my own opinion very happily, those complex determinations of the mind which result from the coöperation of our rational powers and of our moral feelings.
Alike to council or the assembly came,With equal souls and sentiments the same.
Sensation
A small serving of gin or sherry.
Sentiment
Hence, generally, a decision of the mind formed by deliberation or reasoning; thought; opinion; notion; judgment; as, to express one's sentiments on a subject.
Sentiments of philosophers about the perception of external objects.
Sentiment, as here and elsewhere employed by Reid in the meaning of opinion (sententia), is not to be imitated.
Sensation
An impression, or the consciousness of an impression, made upon the central nervous organ, through the medium of a sensory or afferent nerve or one of the organs of sense; a feeling, or state of consciousness, whether agreeable or disagreeable, produced either by an external object (stimulus), or by some change in the internal state of the body.
Perception is only a special kind of knowledge, and sensation a special kind of feeling. . . . Knowledge and feeling, perception and sensation, though always coexistent, are always in the inverse ratio of each other.
Sentiment
A sentence, or passage, considered as the expression of a thought; a maxim; a saying; a toast.
Sensation
A purely spiritual or psychical affection; agreeable or disagreeable feelings occasioned by objects that are not corporeal or material.
Sentiment
Sensibility; feeling; tender susceptibility.
Mr. Hume sometimes employs (after the manner of the French metaphysicians) sentiment as synonymous with feeling; a use of the word quite unprecedented in our tongue.
Less of sentiment than sense.
Sensation
A state of excited interest or feeling, or that which causes it.
The sensation caused by the appearance of that work is still remembered by many.
Sentiment
Tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
Sensation
An unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation;
A sensation of touch
Sentiment
A personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty;
My opinion differs from yours
What are your thoughts on Haiti?
Sensation
Someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
Sensation
A general feeling of excitement and heightened interest;
Anticipation produced in me a sensation somewhere between hope and fear
Sensation
A state of widespread public excitement and interest;
The news caused a sensation
Sensation
The faculty through which the external world is apprehended;
In the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing
Common Curiosities
Can sentiments influence sensations?
Yes, sentiments can sometimes influence how we perceive sensations, adding emotional context to physical experiences.
Are sensations always physical?
Yes, sensations are always linked to physical stimuli affecting the body's sensory organs.
What is the main difference between sentiment and sensation?
Sentiment refers to emotional feelings and attitudes, whereas sensation is about physical perceptions processed by the senses.
What role do cultural factors play in sentiment?
Cultural backgrounds can deeply influence sentiments by shaping individual attitudes and emotional reactions.
Why is sentiment considered subjective?
Because it is based on personal feelings and experiences, which can vary widely between individuals.
Can sentiments be wrong or misguided?
Sentiments can be based on misconceptions or incomplete information, making them sometimes misguided.
Is there a biological basis for sensations?
Yes, sensations arise from the biological and neurological processing of sensory information.
How are sentiments expressed differently than sensations?
Sentiments are expressed through emotional responses and subjective interpretations, while sensations are straightforward physical reactions.
How can sentiments be measured?
Sentiments are often measured through subjective reports, psychological tests, and analysis of expressive behaviors.
What are common methods to study sensations?
Sensations are studied through physiological measurements, sensory tests, and neurological examinations.
Do animals experience sentiments?
Animals are believed to experience basic emotions, which could be considered rudimentary sentiments.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
