Understanding the Biological Function of Emotions
A Pathway to Emotional Regulation and Healing
As a therapist, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of understanding the biological function of emotions. It's a cornerstone of emotional regulation that's often missing for many individuals. When we grasp that our emotions serve a biological purpose and comprehend how they affect us physiologically, we unlock the ability to fully process our emotions—an essential step toward healing. Let's delve into what emotions are, how they function biologically, and why learning to regulate them is crucial for our well-being.
What Are Emotions?
Emotions are intricate responses, both physiological and psychological, to the stimuli and situations we encounter. They act as our body's internal guidance system, directing our attention and preparing us for action. Consider them as our body's language, conveying important messages about what matters and how we should respond.
Like a finely tuned instrument, our emotions communicate with us through a complex interplay of neurotransmitters, hormones, and neural pathways. Each emotion carries a distinct message, whether it's the exhilaration of joy or the pang of sorrow, prompting us to pay attention and take appropriate action. By tuning into these emotional signals, we gain deeper insight into ourselves and our surroundings, empowering us to navigate life's challenges with clarity and resilience.
The Evolutionary Advantage of Emotions
Our emotional responses have deep roots in our evolutionary history, serving as essential tools for survival and adaptation. As bonding mammals, human beings rely on emotions to navigate the complexities of social interactions and ensure our collective survival. Unpleasant emotions, such as fear or sadness, have evolved as alarm signals, alerting us to potential threats or unmet needs in our environment. For instance, fear prompts us to flee from danger, while sadness signals a loss or a need for support from our social group.
It's crucial to recognize that emotions themselves are not the problem; rather, it's our inability to effectively manage and process them that can lead to distress. Emotions are adaptive responses that have been honed over millennia to help us navigate life's challenges and opportunities. When we fail to acknowledge or address our emotions, we disrupt the delicate balance that has evolved to ensure our well-being. By understanding the evolutionary significance of emotions and learning to work with them constructively, we can harness their power to navigate life's complexities with greater resilience and emotional intelligence.
Suppressing Emotions Won’t Work
Many of us have been taught to suppress certain emotions, believing that they're undesirable or off-limits. However, suppressing emotions only exacerbates the problem. When we suppress our emotions, we bottle up our feelings rather than addressing them directly. This can lead to a buildup of emotional tension and distress over time. Moreover, the energy required to continually suppress emotions can be draining, leaving us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
By avoiding or suppressing emotions, we deny ourselves the opportunity to process and understand them fully. Instead of finding healthy outlets for expression, unresolved emotions can linger beneath the surface, manifesting in unexpected ways such as increased stress, irritability, or even physical symptoms like headaches or muscle tension. Over time, this suppression can erode our emotional well-being, hindering our ability to form authentic connections with ourselves and others. It's essential to recognize that emotions are a natural and integral part of the human experience, and learning to acknowledge and work through them is essential for our mental and emotional health.
How Emotions Show Up
Cue or Trigger: A stimulus or event activates the brain, signaling that something important is happening and requires attention.
Basic Perception: Almost instantaneously, your brain categorizes the stimulus or event as good or bad, pleasurable or painful, or safe or dangerous. This rapid assessment is crucial, especially in emergencies, as it guides subsequent actions.
Physiological Response: Emotions are grounded in the body. The triggering event and the basic perception lead to a biological response, informing your body whether you are safe or if you need to engage in fight or flight.
These first three steps happen almost instantly, before your prefrontal cortex comes online.
Assigned Meaning: The prefrontal cortex assigns meaning to the event, typically manifesting as thoughts.
Action: With all of the above information, the emotion we feel prepares us to act. For instance, anger prompts us to approach and protect ourselves, while sadness may lead to withdrawal and seeking support.
The 6 Basic Emotions
Understanding the fundamental roles of various emotions can significantly enhance our ability to navigate our inner experiences with greater effectiveness. According to Emotionally Focused Therapy, there are six primary emotions that serve as foundational points for delving into deeper emotional experiences.
Anger: Signals unmet needs and prompts us to assert ourselves. When balanced, it drives us towards goals; when unbalanced, it can lead to destruction.
Joy: Indicates that our needs are being met and encourages us to move towards positive experiences.
Surprise: Sparks curiosity and exploration, inviting us to approach new situations with an open mind.
Sadness: Prompts us to withdraw and seek support when we experience loss or grief.
Shame: Involves fear about the self and can lead to hiding and withdrawal, hindering our ability to connect with others.
Fear: Alerts us to potential danger and prompts us to escape or take action to protect ourselves.
A valuable and free resource for increasing your emotional vocabulary is a Feelings Wheel. You can also search “Feelings Wheel” on Google and discover a plethora of helpful tools to enrich your emotional vocabulary.
How to Feel Your Feelings
To regulate our emotions effectively, we must cultivate a multifaceted approach that encompasses various aspects of self-awareness and compassion. Here's how we can embark on this journey:
Recognize: It begins with expanding our emotional vocabulary beyond simple labels like "happy" or "sad." By delving deeper and accurately identifying the nuances of our feelings, we gain a richer understanding of our emotional landscape. This heightened awareness allows us to recognize the subtle shifts in our inner world and respond to them with greater clarity.
Allow & Accept: Embracing emotions involves more than just acknowledging their existence; it requires a willingness to sit with discomfort and allow ourselves to experience the full spectrum of physiological sensations that accompany them. Rather than resisting or suppressing these sensations, we can cultivate a sense of acceptance and openness, allowing emotions to flow through us without judgment or resistance.
Investigate: To truly understand our emotional experiences, we must be willing to explore them with curiosity and compassion. This involves delving beneath the surface of our feelings to uncover the underlying needs, desires, and experiences that shape them. By engaging in this process of self-inquiry, we gain valuable insights into the root causes of our emotions, empowering us to address them more effectively.
Non-Identify & Non-Judgment: It's essential to recognize that our emotions do not define us. They are transient experiences that arise in response to various internal and external stimuli. By adopting a stance of non-identification, we can cultivate a sense of detachment from our emotions, allowing them to arise and pass without becoming entangled in our sense of self-worth or identity. Similarly, practicing non-judgment involves refraining from harsh self-criticism or condemnation for feeling a certain way. Instead, we can extend compassion and understanding to ourselves, recognizing that all emotions are valid and worthy of acknowledgment.
Incorporating these practices into our daily lives can help us develop greater emotional resilience, clarity, and well-being. By fostering a deeper understanding and acceptance of our emotions, we can navigate life's challenges with greater ease and grace, fostering a sense of inner peace and balance.
Emotions are primal, necessary, and integral to our lives. They guide our actions, help us communicate, and foster connections with others. By learning to tune into and regulate our emotions, we can improve our relationships, enhance our decision-making, and promote overall well-being. Embracing the biological function of emotions is not just enlightening—it's life-changing. Through understanding and accepting our emotions, we embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. We gain the tools to navigate life's challenges with grace and resilience, fostering deeper connections with ourselves and others. Ultimately, by honoring the richness and complexity of our emotional experience, we unlock the door to a life of profound fulfillment, joy, and meaning.
Take Care,
Kaylee Rudd, LMFT