Why are emotions and feelings important?
Emotions and feelings are helpful for a variety of reasons. Although sometimes it may feel like our feelings get in the way of completing goals and tasks and seeing the entire situation clearly, our emotions play a pivotal role in our lives.
Emotions and feelings are an essential tool for communication. Psychology tells us that from a young age, children, even babies, can communicate clearly through emotional reactions and feelings that peers display. For example, if you see someone frowning or crying, you will likely judge that they are upset. Without using any words, they have communicated that they are unhappy. Emotions that are held and displayed by babies help them to communicate before they can talk. For example, when your baby cries, you may learn that it means they are hungry. They can now share they are hungry by expressing an emotion to you!
Emotions are also at the core of mental health issues. In psychology, many theories can be used to describe how emotions can offset us.
Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT) describes emotions and feelings as closely linked to our interpretations of experiences. Psychodynamic theory sees emotions as an unconscious process that occurs within ourselves. Either way, psychological theories believe that emotions and feelings have a role to play in the psychopathology we might face when struggling with mental health issues.
Finally, our emotions and feelings often guide our behavior and decisions. When faced with an experience, our feelings about said experience will act as a guide to support us. For example, if an individual afraid of spiders needs to enter an old garage, they may hesitate and avoid the situation to avoid their fear emotion. Or, an individual who feels happy attending concerts may attend more social events. Emotions can influence how we think, make decisions, and solve problems.
Finally, emotions play an essential part in our lives. They can strongly impact attention and memory. If an individual has a stronger emotional connection to an experience, they may remember it better. It is important to remember that acceptance of our emotions is critical to finding our way through life.
Knowing that negative emotions pass and positive emotions will come can support individuals through difficult times and raise hope for individuals struggling with psychopathology.
