Introduction to Emotions

The basic definition of emotion says that an emotion is a feeling state involving thoughts, physiological changes, and an outward expression or behavior. Emotions are very important because they influence our everyday lives, affect the choices we make and shape our lives. There are many theories that attempt to examine why and how we experience emotions. One of them is James-Lange Theory which argues that an event causes a physiological arousal first and then an interpretation of this arousal. 

 Only after our interpretation of the arousal we can experience emotion. If the arousal is not noticed or is not given any thought, then we will not experience any emotion based on this event. EXAMPLE: You are walking down a dark alley late at night. You hear footsteps behind you and you begin to tremble, your heart beats faster, and your breathing deepens. You notice these physiological changes and interpret them as your body's preparation for a fearful situation. You then experience fear.

Another example is Cannon-Bard Theory which argues that we experience physiological arousal and emotion at the same time, but give no attention to the role of thoughts or outward behavior. EXAMPLE: You are walking down a dark alley late at night. You hear footsteps behind you and you begin to tremble, your heart beats faster, and your breathing deepens. At the same time as these physiological changes occur you also experience the emotion of fear.

One of the main roles of emotions is to allow humans to survive and be successful in the world. Nature developed our emotions over millions of years of evolution. By showing emotions we reveal our needs and wants. Our emotions also have the potential to serve us as a delicate and sophisticated internal guidance system. Our emotions alert us when natural human need is not being met. For example, when we feel lonely, our need for connection with other people is unmet. When we feel afraid, our need for safety is unmet. When we feel rejected, it is our need for acceptance which is unmet. Fear is an example of emotion which is important for our survival. Back then, being afraid was important for survival of our species because our distant ancestors could see when it was needed to run away - otherwise they might have been killed. Fear signals to your brain that your survival is under threat upon which chemicals and hormones are released to prepare your body for the needed action.