Akademik

believe, feel
Precisely, believe suggests "to have convictions about," "to judge," "to think"; feel indicates emotion rather than reason. In daily use, the words are interchangeable: "I feel (or I believe) that we should go." Careful distinction is shown in such a sentence as "I feel cheerful when I hear from you, because I believe you still like me."

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.