The question of whether experience or thought comes first is both philosophical and practical. It touches the core of how we understand reality, form beliefs, and make decisions. On the surface, it may seem like a simple cause-and-effect problem. But the deeper you look, the more complex and revealing the question becomes.

In early life, experience clearly comes first. A newborn doesn’t have fully formed thoughts. Instead, they react to sensations—hunger, warmth, sound. These raw experiences shape the early structure of the brain. As the mind develops, those experiences start to form patterns. From those patterns, thoughts begin to emerge. The child learns what to expect, what to avoid, and what to seek.

So in the beginning, experience is primary. It teaches the brain how to interpret the world. But as we grow older, thought begins to shape experience in return. Once you have a belief or expectation, it colors how you perceive future events. If you believe people can’t be trusted, you will interpret neutral actions as suspicious. If you believe you’re capable, you’ll see a challenge as an opportunity instead of a threat.

At this stage, thought comes first—not in time, but in influence. It filters what you notice, what you ignore, and how you feel about what happens. In this way, experience and thought begin to loop. Each influences the other. You think based on what you’ve experienced, but you also experience based on what you think.

This feedback loop is powerful. It means that a change in thought can open you up to new experiences, and a new experience can force you to rethink what you believed was true. It’s why travel, trauma, love, or loss can permanently alter someone’s worldview. It’s also why deliberate reflection, learning, or meditation can reframe old experiences in a new light.

So which comes first? The honest answer is: it depends. Early in life, experience builds the structure for thought. Later in life, thought begins to shape how experience is perceived. But in any moment, both are working together. One is not truly first or last. They co-create meaning.

The more important question might be, which one are you giving power to now? Are you allowing your past experiences to dictate your current thoughts? Or are you using fresh thought to reframe your experiences in a new way?

You don’t always get to choose your experiences, but you can always choose how to think about them. And over time, those thoughts will guide what kind of experiences you seek out next. That’s where the real power lies—not in what came first, but in what comes next.