why are humans so emotional
Answers
Th e human palate of emotional states is built from a few primary emotions, or emotions that are hard-wired into our neuro-anatomy. Much like the many shades of colors that can be blended from a few primary colors (Plutchik 1980), humans can feel and express a much larger palate of emotions, and we can also read this palate of emotions in the gestures of others. Human neurology is, of course, far more complex than a color wheel, but the analogy makes the critical point: humans are hard-wired in their brains to experience and express a few primary emotions, as are all other mammals. But compared with all other mammals, even highly intelligent ones with large brains, humans can also mix many new emotional colors from a relatively small number of primary emotions. What are these primary emotions? Well, it is embarrassing to say that there is not complete consensus on which emotions are primary, but all researchers and theorist would agree on this much: the four emotions of anger, fear, sadness, and happiness are primary. Some scholars add several more emotions such as disgust, surprise, expectancy, and a few others. But all agree on these four, and this is enough to tell the story of emotions (Turner 2000: 68-69; Turner and Stets 2005: 15-16). In humans and, to a lesser degree in some intelligent mammals, these primary emotions vary by degree of intensity and valence. Table 1.1 represents my best eff ort, drawing from others, to use words to communicate the range of aff ective states of each of these primary emotions (Turner 2000, 2007a). For each primary emotion, the valence of the emotion goes from a low-through moderate-to high-intensity state.
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because they help us to survive
emotions help us to build relationships and bind communities