Why We Have Emotions
Daniel Goleman once witnessed a New York bus driver greet every passenger with a warm smile, transforming a busload of irritable strangers into a connected community. This small act of emotional wizardry highlights a power science once ignored: the ability to master and project our feelings. Today, society seems to be unraveling due to a lack of self-control, with a rise in emotional outbursts from road rage to senseless violence. These incidents reflect a growing malaise where people feel lonely, angry, and impulsive, replacing civility with a testy defensiveness.
Recent breakthroughs in brain imaging allow us to map the biology of feelings, proving that emotional habits are not fixed by genes. While we have certain temperaments, the brain’s circuitry is remarkably malleable, especially during childhood. A high IQ does not guarantee success if a person cannot manage their impulses; true intelligence includes self-awareness, persistence, and the capacity to read others. These skills form the basis of character. The remedy for our social crisis lies in educating both the mind and the heart, fostering a more civil society by bringing intelligence to our emotions.
Our deepest feelings are essential guides that can override the impulse for personal survival. This was demonstrated by Gary and Mary Jane Chauncey, who, after their Amtrak train crashed into a river, pushed their daughter Andrea, who had cerebral palsy, through a window to rescuers before they both perished. From an evolutionary perspective, such self-sacrifice serves to pass on genes, but to a parent, it is an act of pure devotion. These emotions guide us through predicaments too important to leave to the intellect alone, offering a readiness to act that has worked for humans throughout history.
The very root of the word emotion is the Latin verb "to move," suggesting that an impulse to act is implicit in every feeling. Science can now track the biological signatures of these impulses as they prepare the body for different responses. When we feel anger, blood flows to our hands to make it easier to grasp a weapon. In moments of fear, blood rushes to our legs to make it easier to flee. Happiness provides a surge of energy and quiets worrisome thoughts, while sadness drops our energy levels, forcing a period of withdrawal to process loss. However, these ancient responses can lead to modern tragedies. Bobby Crabtree, fearing an intruder, grabbed his pistol and fatally shot his fourteen-year-old daughter when she jumped out of a closet to prank him. This fear-driven impulse was an evolutionary legacy tailored for a much harsher world.
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