> But who says that what people say about themselves reveals actual emotions and motivations? > This might be true for simple attitudes free from moralisations

> But who says that what people say about themselves reveals actual emotions and motivations? > This might be true for simple attitudes free from moralisations (‘What is your favourite music?’) My answer to that question changes depending on who asks me, where, and when. As for a link between language and cognition, it completely depends on the definition. Like the arguments of religion they are both pointless and masturbatory unless the participants are willing to agree on concrete definitions beforehand. Cognition is murky because it involves understanding, and understanding is a most variable and undefined term.