Most of us receive messages such as “be rational,” “don’t be too emotional,” “don’t let your emotions make the decisions” etc. As a mental health professional, I believe that most of us have not been taught enough about emotions to really understand them.
Our lack of understanding has caused us to see emotions as unnecessary and unhelpful, perhaps even dangerous.
Evolutionarily speaking — if it weren’t for our fight or flight response; anger or fear emotions, we wouldn’t have learned to stay safe in the jungle. We wouldn’t have survived.
First: They communicate to us. They tell us if our environment is safe or not. They help us figure out what we like and what we want to avoid. The disgust response may get us to avoid an unsanitary area, and fear due to an unsafe driver on the road increases our awareness of the road.
Second: They communicate to others. They help others see if there’s danger and if they too need to run for their lives. They help others see when we are in pain and need help.
Third: Emotions get us to act. Each emotion comes with an action urge. What does your body want to do when you’re angry? It may want to yell, shout, send a hurtful message, perhaps hit. What does it want to do when you’re happy? Maybe it makes you want to share your happiness with others, puts a smile on your face, and makes you be more chatty. Each emotion gets us to act.
They arrive quickly based on some of the current information and the wisdom of our previous experiences. Their main goal is to help us be safe — and do so quickly.
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