In this post we’ll unpack all you need to know about emotions, including what they are, their evolutionary role, the three forces that control our emotional states, how our state determines our destiny, how to leverage them and more.
What Are Emotions?
Emotions are subjective physiological experiences that are generated in response to internal and external stimuli.
The Evolutionary Perspective
From an evolutionary perspective, emotions evolved to motivate behaviours that enhance our ability to survive and reproduce. In this sense, emotions are information that facilitate learning.
Emotions that we associate with pain contract our awareness discourage behaviours. Emotions that we associate with pleasure contract our awareness encourage behaviours.
How They Relate To Goals
Emotions are signals that serve as an internal compass to guide us towards the actions we need to take in order to achieve our goals. More simply, emotions are feedback.
Emotions that we associate with pain signal to us that we are misaligned with our goals. Emotions that we associate with pleasure signal to us that we are aligned with our goals.
“An instance of emotion, constructed from a prediction, tailors your action to meet a particular goal in a particular situation, using past experience as a guide.” ― Lisa Feldman Barrett
Emotions Versus Feelings
The difference between emotions and feelings is that emotions are objective while feelings are subjective. Emotions are signals whose purpose is to enhance our survival. Feelings are our interpretations of our emotions.
The 3 Forces That Control Your State
Happy people tend to view the world and engage in behaviours in a way that reinforces their happiness. Unhappy people tend to view the world and engage in behaviours in a way that reinforces their unhappiness.
For most people, their state is determined by their environment. However, the truth is that we can take control of how we feel in an instant.
There are three forces that control our emotional experience in any given moment ― known as the Emotional Triad. The three forces are:
- Physiology ― what we do with our body.
- Focus ― where we place our attention.
- Language ― how we communicate.
The best thing about these three forces is that they are entirely within our control. We can change any of them at will and when we do, we change our state.
“The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your emotions.”
How They Determine Your Destiny
Emotions determine how we perceive, experience and interact with the world around us. They determine our actions, our results and therefore, ultimately, our destiny.
How To Leverage Emotions
The key to leveraging emotions is to generate those that align us with the actions necessary to achieve our goals and the life we desire.
In doing so, you become the Master of your Destiny instead of a Slave to your Fate.
Summary (TL;DR)
Emotions are constructed from predictions that the brain makes based on past experiences about what leads to pain and what leads to pleasure and serve to align us with the necessary actions in order to achieve a particular goal.
From an evolutionary perspective, they evolved as adaptations to drive our behaviours in a way that promote survival and reproduction.
The key to leveraging them is to generate those that align us with the actions necessary to achieve our goals and the life we desire.
