Function of Emotions:

·      Emotions motivate us to action. Many emotions set off hormonal reactions in our bodies to prepare us for quick and potentially life-saving action. We are wired to respond to some emotional cues before we can even consciously process them – as a way to increase our likelihood of survival.

·      Emotions communicate to and influence others. We are social creatures. Emotions allows us to participate in the interactions that make up our complex social systems. The most basic emotional expressions (smiling for happiness, frowning when sad) can be found across all humans regardless of cultural exposure. 

·      Emotions communicate to ourselves. Emotions are signals to ourselves that we need to be aware of what is going on. Unpleasant emotions may mean there is an actual threat or they may be a sign we need to adjust our behavior to be in line with our values (or our culture). 

Each primary emotion also has a specific evolutionary purpose: 

Fear – keep us safe
Anger – motivate us to act/protect
Disgust – protect us from contamination
Sadness – focus on what is important, align actions to values
Shame – maintaining in-group status
Guilt – maintaining values driven behaviors
Jealousy – protect relationships when threatened
Envy – motivates us to work hard to gain 
Love – reproduction & survival 
Happiness – reinforces behaviors that increase time in optimal functioning