Why do we have emotions?

Our emotions have ‘survival value’ - they evolved to help protect us from danger. They help by providing extra information about what's going on around us. A decision made on emotion alone can be made much more quickly than can a decision made through thought and investigation. Our emotions can help us a great deal, if we learn to understand them.

• Anger - there's a threat of pain or loss, we might have to act to change or to challenge something
• Boredom - a need for stimulation or structure
• Fear - warning us of a threat, there's something we might need to avoid
• Grief - the need to mourn, to care for ourselves, to let go and to re-attach
• Happiness - all is well – nothing needs to change
• Loneliness - to remind us that we need other people
• Sadness - we need to turn our attention inwards, to a period of self-reflection, often comes before change