Why Are Emotions Important?

Helen Adams Keller, an American author, lecturer, political activist, and disability rights advocate, once said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They are felt with the heart.”

Emotions play an important role in our lives because they can determine how we think and behave. The way people feel daily can make them take action and make decisions that can influence their lives. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a big or small decision; our feelings can affect all of them.

Have you ever wondered why you occasionally feel the way you do? Or have you ever wished that the feelings you felt could disappear? If you have, you are not in it alone; you and the 7 billion people occupying the earth have had feelings they didn’t know how to deal with.

We don’t just feel the way we do. There is a reason we all have a wide range of feelings. But why are emotions important? They help us communicate with the people around us, such as when we feel down and need help; they also make us act quickly when the situation demands prompt action. For example, imagine walking down the street alone at night, and you notice someone following you; and immediately you feel fear and anxiety that makes you race back home (to safety).

Your feelings aren’t always great. There are times when they can make you take decisions or actions you’d regret later simply because you haven’t learned how to control your emotions effectively. Hence, in today’s guide, we’ll be looking at emotions and the importance of emotions; at the end of this article, you’ll be able to answer questions about them like “why is managing emotions important?” or “why is emotional connection important?” To learn more about how your feelings can affect life experience, continue reading. Also, You can also read more on our related topic on – importance of self-car

What are Emotions?

According to the dictionary, an emotion is a strong feeling derived from a person’s mood, circumstances, or relationships with others.

Emotions are psychological states caused by neurophysiological changes, often associated with feelings, thoughts, behavioural responses, and a degree of displeasure or pleasure. They are often used interchangeably with mood, personality, creativity, temperament, and disposition.

The way we feel inside can be divided into two major groups—positive emotions and negative emotions. Positive emotions are those feelings we find pleasurable to experience (they affect our mental health positively), while negative emotions are those feelings we do not enjoy experiencing (they affect our mental health negatively).

However, researchers suggested that emotions can be categorized into seven types and three components. The seven different types of emotions are joy, sadness, surprise, disgust, contempt, fear and anger. Based on the primary forms, we can build secondary forms, which could add up to a number that’s more than twenty-five. While the three critical components of emotion are:

Subjective component: This has to do with how you experience your feelings as well as your emotional experiences.

Physiological component: This has to do with how your body reacts to your feelings.

Expressive component: This has to do with how you behave when responding to your feelings. This is also where the effect and/or importance of emotional experience can be observed because your previous experiences will play a role in affecting your future responses.

Learning about the way you feel and understanding where they come from can help you better manage them. That’s why we’ll be looking at where our feelings come from next. e

Where Do Emotions Come From?

Every emotion we feel is influenced by the limbic system. The limbic system, also known as the paleomammalian cortex, is a network of interconnected structures in the brain. Major structures such as the limbic cortex, the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the hypothalamus play a significant role in the way we feel and our behavioural responses.

At this point, you have a good understanding of the term emotion, its types, and its components. But what are the advantages of understanding your emotions? Is there anything to gain from it? Keep reading to find out.

How Can Emotions Motivate You?

The way you feel can increase the probability of you taking action. For example, when you fear sadness, you are more likely to do things that’ll keep you happy always; when you are angry about someone or something, you are more likely to confront the source of your anger. The same thing happens when you feel love, you may feel the need to find your partner.

Motivation is one of the benefits of understanding your feelings. To further buttress this point, I’ll be citing an example. Have you ever been faced with a nerve-wracking exam? If you have, then you’d remember that you felt a lot of anxiety about how well you’d perform, as well as the impact of that test on your final grade. If failing the test will affect your final result, you’d realize that you’d be more inclined to study due to those inner feelings.

What happened there is that since you experienced a particular emotion, that feeling you experienced caused you to take action and do something positive in order to reduce the chances of having a bad grade.

Additionally, we sometimes make certain decisions or take specific actions in order to experience positive emotions and reduce our chances of experiencing negative emotions. When you make those decisions or take those actions, you are trying to control your mental state. When you do that, it is known as emotional regulation. For example, you can look out for hobbies or social activities that provide you with a sense of excitement, contentment, and happiness while avoiding things that could lead to sadness, boredom, or anxiety.

Can Emotions Help You Make Decisions?

Yes, they can. Do you know that the way you feel plays a major role in the decisions you make daily? They are responsible for the food you’ll have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the items you’ll purchase at the grocery store or even the candidate you’ll vote for during elections. Even in situations where it seems that our decisions are guided by pure rationality and logic, they still play a major role.

Researchers have also discovered that people living with certain types of brain damage affecting their ability to have feelings are more likely to make poor decisions.

Emotional intelligence is another advantage that comes with understanding your feelings which has to do with your ability to manage and understand your feelings—emotional intelligence has been shown to play a pivotal role in decision making.

Emotions Help Others Understand You Better

Since people can’t read minds, when interacting with other people, you must give them clues that’ll help them better understand how you are feeling. The hints may include emotional expressions via body language, like using various facial expressions that can be associated with the way you are feeling at that moment.

In some cases, you may have to directly tell the person how you feel if they can’t read your expressions. Every time you tell your family members or friends that you feel happiness, sadness, frightened, or excitement, you are intentionally giving them key information that they can use to take action.

Therapy:

I do recommend therapy when we are not able to untangle our emotions, or they are overwhelming and stop us from functioning in a healthy manner. A therapist with their listening ear, provide a safe space for you to dive deep into yourself, at your pace to understand your emotions and work towards healing when needed.