In What Ways Are Human Emotions Rooted in Our Biology?

The heart is often considered the seat of human emotion, but that is only a metaphor. Emotions exist in the brain before they begin affecting other parts of the body, and certainly before they start influencing our behavior. Many of these emotions have specific biological purposes that help our species to perpetuate and thrive, so before you decide to believe the heart is responsible for what we feel, consider some of the other factors involved.

Survival Instinct

• One of the most basic human emotions is fear. Fear ensures our survival by prompting us to remove ourselves from situations that may cause us harm. Without the emotion of fear, we would never run away from a saber-toothed tiger (in cave man days) or a would-be mugger (in modern times) and would therefore put life and limb at risk.

Dominance

• Aggression is another emotion that helps us master our environments. For instance, in our cave man days, aggressive males were more likely to mate with fertile females, thus ensuring the survival of their genes. Without the mastery gained through this emotion, people are poorly adapted to survive harsh environments and pass on strong characteristics to future generations.

Procreation

• Love is a key emotion rooted in our biology to ensure survival of the species. Without love (or at least some emotional attraction) males and females would have little inclination to foster mutually-beneficial relationships. It is love, or something like it, that motivated cave men to bring their mates and children food, and provide protection from predators. Love helped the women care for their newborns and provide sexual satisfaction to the males, which in turn kept the latter from seeking out other females. Although monogamy is not the only viable option for building human relationships, it still provides benefits similar to those enjoyed by cave people.

Satisfaction

• When our survival is relatively assured (i.e., basic needs for food, shelter and safety are met), we begin to focus on maximizing pleasurable experiences. Emotions such as empathy allow us to help ensure and enhance others' survival. We are rewarded with the gratitude and potential return favors of those we help. Thus, these emotional rewards assist in the perpetuation of the species as a whole, as opposed to just the individual and his own genes.