Emotions and Health (Part 1)

A groggy woman turns in her bed and catches a glimpse of the time on her bedside clock. It is 4:30 a.m. Her teenaged son, who went out last night with friends, should have been home hours ago. Bolting out of bed, she checks her answering machine to see if he may have left any messages. There are none.

Terrified that something may have happened to him, the woman dresses herself and franti­cally flips through the phonebook. She stops at the number of the police department and begins dialing. Hearing someone gingerly turning the handle of the front door, she hangs up the receiver. Her son has finally returned home.

Overjoyed to see him, she rushes over to hug him. But when she thinks of how thoughtless he has been, and smells booze and cigarette smoke on his clothing, she feels a sudden surge of anger. He starts to apologize, but she interrupts him. He’s grounded for the next six months, she tells him a trembling voice.

Fear, joy, anger: such powerful feelings are what we generally think of when we hear the term “emotion.” Psychologists define emotions as mental responses to events, circumstances, people, or our own thoughts and memories. They course through our conscious and unconscious beings at all times, whether at critical junctures or during seemingly inconsequential moments of our lives.

Biologists tell us that our emotions are rooted in self-preservation, triggering physiologi­cal reactions that enable us to find food, escape danger and reproduce. For example, fear increases the flow of blood to the muscles, making it easier to run or take flight, while the love we display to our offspring ultimately helps to ensure the continuation of our genes.

                                                                                                                                        ----Continued