16/10/2025
Emotions are vital because they provide information, influence thought and behavior, drive action, aid social connection, and are essential for survival. They act as internal signals for our needs and external signals to others, motivating us to respond to significant situations and navigate life's challenges.
Informative Signals
Internal Cues: Emotions alert us to important internal or external events, revealing our needs, values, and problems. For example, sadness signals loss, while anger suggests a boundary violation.
Decision-Making: Emotions help us process information and influence how we think and make decisions by assigning different weights to various factors.
Motivation and Action
Preparation for Action: Emotions prepare the body for immediate action and motivate future behaviors. Fear, for instance, gets you to jump back from a car.
Driving Behaviors: They serve to drive behaviors that promote well-being, learning from past experiences, and avoiding future threats.
Social and Survival Functions
Communication: Emotions are crucial for communicating our needs to others, such as needing help when sad.
Social Regulation: Emotional expressions are universal social signals that provide information about other people's psychological states and relationships.
Survival Tool: Over evolutionary history, emotions have been essential for survival by enabling rapid responses to threats and dangers.
Personal Growth and Connection
Sense of Self: Emotions contribute to our sense of self and wholeness, preventing feelings of fragmentation.
Life Navigation: Understanding and processing emotions helps us identify our needs and how to meet them, enabling us to navigate life's complexities.