Emotions why do we have them

Scientists have found that certain kinds of thoughts often lead to certain emotions. Scientists have discovered that the thoughts that cause emotions usually answer questions like these:. When something happens, you will feel different emotions depending on how your mind answers these different questions. This can be hard to understand. However, scientists have found that sometimes your brain can trigger an emotion unconsciously. This means that your brain might notice something in your situation and trigger an emotional reaction, all without you even noticing it.

This might help you figure out why you are feeling the way you do. When an emotion is triggered, what actually happens? For example, when you are afraid or angry, you might feel your heart start to pound and your lungs might start breathing faster.

Or, when you are sad, you might get tears in your eyes. Emotions can also cause some muscles in your body to move automatically. Another part of an emotional reaction is that you start to think differently.

For example, scientists have found that when people are sad they usually think of sad memories, but when people are happy they usually think of happy memories. As another example, when people are scared they usually start looking for other dangers in their surroundings, and they are more likely to have thoughts about other scary things.

On the other hand, when people are happy, they usually notice more things that they like as they go through the day. The last part of an emotional reaction is that you start to want to behave differently than you usually behave. For example, if you are angry, you might want to yell or fight with someone. Or, if you are scared, you might feel a strong desire to run away. Or, if you are sad, you may just want to stay home alone in your room and not talk to anyone.

After we have emotional reactions, we usually also want to understand them. Have you ever been unsure about what emotion you were feeling? Sometimes our feelings can be confusing, and it can take effort to understand them.

One reason for this is that the same type of emotion can sometimes feel different in different situations. We wear emotions outwardly -- the basic emotions are all readily apparent on a person's face -- so they serve as social signals. These allow us to interact with others' needs in mind rather than our own, which is the basis of society.

There are plenty of examples of how emotions help further society. Imagine raising offspring without the emotional attachment associated with one's own children. The feeling of loneliness leads to the emotion of sadness, which prompts us to seek out the company of others. Higher, self-conscious emotions like shame prevent us from repeating behavior that is harmful to others, like stealing.

It would seem, then, that society was able to emerge as a result of our ability to experience emotions based on our interactions with others. Or did it happen the other way around? Interestingly, the social constructionist theory of emotions says that society begins to dictate the emotional response to an individual, rather than vice versa.

As a person grows older, emotions develop from knee-jerk physiological reactions to predictable, conditioned responses [source: Ratner ]. In this sense, the emotions of the individual are hijacked by the expectations of the society the individual lives in, making that person more suited to live peaceably in that society. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close.

Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Life Science. Sometimes the way we view a situation can impact how we feel. Emotion Regulation Help young people to manage intense emotions. Listen to this page. Download as Podcast. Print this page. Emotional awareness helps us know and accept ourselves. So how can you become more aware of your emotions? Start with these three simple steps:.

Just like anything else in life, when it comes to emotions, practice makes perfect! Remind yourself there are no good or bad emotions. Don't judge your feelings — just keep noticing and naming them.

Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. How Emotions Help Us What are you feeling, right now, as you start to read this? Emotions Here are a few basic things about emotions: Emotions come and go.

Most of us feel many different emotions throughout the day. Some last just a few seconds. Others might linger to become a mood. Emotions can be mild, intense, or anywhere in between.

The intensity of an emotion can depend on the situation and on the person. There are no good or bad emotions, but there are good and bad ways of expressing or acting on emotions.