Here are 7 essential facts about emotions that will help you:

1. Emotions are electrochemical signals that flow through us in an unending cycle. They are released in our brains in response to our perceptions about the world. We feel them all the time, which makes me wonder why I learned how to divide one fraction by another and all about Henry VIII beheading his wives, but basically zilch about something so critical to my everyday health and wellbeing. But anyway, emotions are released in our brains and flow all throughout our body. They also are produced in our bodies and go to our brains – check out this article, The Physics of Emotion: Dr. Candace Pert on Feeling Go(o)d – which talks more about this idea of emotions as feedback loop carrying info to help us function.

3. Emotions are neutral. That is to say, some emotions are not inherently good and others bad. It may seem this way, since, for example, joy seems to be a clear winner over sadness. I mean, who wants to be sad? But there are two problems with this way of thinking. The first problem is that joy and sadness have more in common than we think. Joy means I get something I care about. Sadness means I lose something I care about. So they are really two sides of the same need, and we couldn’t have one without the other. And the second problem is that every emotion is simply a signal, delivering a message. Even difficult emotions like fear, anger or sadness are serving an important function.

So, what are the functions of emotions?

4. Emotions function to guide us to survive and thrive. Emotions focus our attention and motivate us toward a specific course of action. Each emotion has a purpose. Take anger, for example. Anger is a signal that our path is blocked. It focuses our attention on the threat and motivates a response of fighting or pushing through the obstacle. It can be used destructively, of course, but it also gives us the energy to find solutions to pressing problems. And what about another emotion, like Joy? Joy focuses our attention on an opportunity, and motivates us to do more of whatever we are doing. We feel joy when we experience meaning and connection, and the purpose of the emotion is to tell us that those are good things, which we should seek out.

One of my favorite tools developed by Six Seconds is called the Emotoscope Feeling Chart. It has dozens of feelings – all variations of Sadness, Joy, Fear, and Anger – and then the message that each emotion is sending. For example, the other day, I was feeling overwhelmed by life. I was too busy and my head was swimming. I looked at the chart and under sad, I found overwhelmed. What was the purpose of that feeling? To let you know you need to prioritize.

Just reading that was remarkably effective. Instead of trying to push the feeling aside, I listened to the emotion and prioritized, making a to-do list of what I needed to do and in what order – and then felt a lot better. It’s these simple steps that make our lives better – and make our emotions feel less like an annoyance and more like a resource.

Download your copy of the Emotoscope Feeling Chart by clicking on the button below.

6. Emotions are different than feelings – and moods. But they are all interrelated, of course. What is the difference?  Basically, time. And to what extent our cognitive thoughts are involved. For an in-depth look at the difference, check out this article, What’s the Difference Between Emotions, Feelings, and Moods?

7. Emotions are absorbed in the body in about six seconds. Each burst of emotion chemicals, from the time its produced in the hypothalamus to the time it’s completely broken down and absorbed, lasts about six seconds. That’s how our organization got its name. If we’re feeling something for longer than six seconds, we are – at some level – choosing to recreate and refuel those feelings. Sometimes that’s good – if the tiger is still chasing you, those fear chemicals are helping save your life. Sometimes it’s not. But recognizing what emotion we are feeling, evaluating its purpose relative to our circumstances, and deciding whether to recreate it is what emotional intelligence is all about. If you want to learn more about emotional intelligence and how to practice it, check out Get Started with Emotional Intelligence.

3 Facts About Emotions

Check out this animated video made by the Six Seconds team, Three Essential Facts About Feelings.