What is Emotion?

When a baby is born, everyone close to them is filled with joy, yet when someone passes

on, everyone close to them is filled with sadness. Why? Why do humans and other forms of life

(animals, reptiles, etc) experience these emotions? As a matter of fact, what even are

emotions?

Emotions are a part of human biology. They are chemicals that assist us in regulating our

minds and bodies, making certain decisions, interacting with other people, as well as getting

through life overall. They generally describe physiological states and are created

subconsciously by the brain. There are seven basic emotions that exist in all humans: joy,

surprise, fear, disgust, anger, contempt, and sadness. Emotions have power over our thoughts.

For example, a person’s first impression of someone or something is controlled by emotions, who then lay the groundwork for future thoughts regarding this subject. Their existence as a pre-cognitive part of the brain proves to be really useful as well. Specifically, when a human is under an impending threat, they do not have time to think. It is at these times that emotions kick into gear, and trigger immediate behavioral responses from the body.

Emotions can also prove to be contagious. They tend to spread among people like a

virus, even if nobody is paying any particular attention to any emotions. When in groups, people

can experience “positive” or “negative” emotions based on the people around them. This is

mainly because humans were meant to be social creatures. They have lived in groups for

hundreds of years, depending on each other for survival. For example, if a person were to see

fear on another’s face, regardless of the reason, they will react similarly, and become much

more attentive of their surroundings.

Emotions are some of the most interesting, yet mysterious aspects of the human brain.

They play such significant roles in the daily lives of people, yet not many people understand

how or why. Emotions are the key to social interactions between people.