Emotions as Allies: A Guide to Understanding and Embracing Our Emotions

What Is Affective Neuroscience?

Affective neuroscience studies the neural mechanisms underlying emotions. By examining brain structures, neural pathways, and chemical processes, researchers have uncovered insights into how emotions arise and why they matter. Notable findings have identified specific areas of the brain—such as the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and insula—as key players in emotional processing.

Jaak Panksepp, a pioneering researcher in affective neuroscience, proposed that emotions arise from ancient subcortical systems in the brain, which he referred to as “primary-process” systems. These systems include circuits for seeking, fear, care, and rage, among others. Panksepp’s work highlights how emotions are deeply rooted in mammalian evolution, serving as fundamental survival mechanisms.

What makes this field so powerful is its interdisciplinary nature. Affective neuroscience blends psychology, biology, and even cultural anthropology to examine emotions not only as subjective experiences but also as biological events with universal patterns. It tells us that while emotions feel personal, they are deeply rooted in human evolution and physiology.

Core Emotions: A Universal Language

One of the most fascinating discoveries in affective neuroscience is the identification of core emotions that are universal across cultures. These emotions form the foundation of human emotional experience, transcending language, geography, and upbringing.

Research by Paul Ekman and Jaak Panksepp has highlighted several core emotions:

1. Joy
2. Sadness
3. Anger
4. Fear
5. Disgust
6. Excitement
7. Desire

Each of these emotions has specific neural and physiological markers. For instance, fear activates the amygdala and prepares the body for a fight-or-flight response, while joy engages the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and serotonin.

These emotions are not just universal in their expression, they are also adaptive and serve a purpose. Fear protects us from danger, anger mobilizes us to address injustices, and joy fosters social bonding. They’re evolutionary tools that have enabled human survival and cooperation.

Emotions as Energy in Motion

The word “emotion” itself hints at its dynamic nature. Derived from the Latin “emovere,” meaning “to move,” emotion can be understood as “energy in motion.” This perspective shifts our understanding of emotions from static states to flowing processes.

When we feel an emotion, we’re experiencing the body’s energy moving in response to a stimulus. This energy can manifest as physical sensations (like a racing heart during fear or warmth in the chest during love) or as impulses to act (like shouting when angry or crying when sad).

Understanding emotion as energy can be transformative. Instead of suppressing or avoiding difficult feelings, we can recognize them as signals that need attention and channels for action. For example:

• • • • Anger can protect, defend, or help us make a change.
      • Fear can guide caution, detect threat, and help us get away from danger.
      • Sadness can encourage reflection, help us grieve, and signal our need for care or rest.

By viewing emotions as flowing energy we’re reminded of their impermanence. Just as a wave in the ocean rises and falls, emotions too will pass—provided we allow them to move through us rather than resisting or holding onto them.

A Practical Guide: Emotions as Allies

Although sometimes inconvenient or disruptive, emotions are also essential guides. Think of them as messengers, providing us with valuable information to help us to navigate our lives. Here’s a few ways to embrace emotions as allies:

1. Name It: Identifying and labeling emotions reduces their intensity. This engages the prefrontal cortex, helping us regulate rather than react impulsively.
2. Embrace the wave: Suppressing emotions traps their energy, leading to stress and tension. Allowing emotions to flow—through journaling, movement, or mindful breathing—fosters release and relief.
3. Understand Universal Triggers: Recognizing core emotions helps us empathize with others. For example, realizing that everyone experiences fear or sadness creates space for compassion in relationships.
4. Engage the Body: Since emotions are felt in the body, practices like yoga, dance, running or somatic therapy can help release pent-up emotional energy.
5. Honor Their Messages: Each emotion has a purpose. Anger can motivate action, sadness can encourage introspection, and joy can strengthen social bonds and help us expand and heal. Listening to their messages can guide personal growth.

A Bridge Not an Obstacle

Affective neuroscience helps us see emotions as both universal and deeply personal—rooted in biology but shaped by experience. By embracing the concept of emotions as energy in motion, we can develop a healthier relationship with our feelings. Instead of fearing them, we can listen to their messages, honor their flow, and use their energy to grow. After all, emotions are not obstacles; they are bridges—connecting us to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us.

References

• Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition & Emotion, 6(3-4), 169-200.
• Panksepp, J. (1998). Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions. Oxford University Press.
• Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Siegel, D. J. (2023). An interpersonal neurobiology perspective on the mind and mental health: personal, public, and planetary well-being. Annals of general psychiatry