Emotions and Health (Part 2)

Read the part 1 of the story 

Noting that the word “emotion” stems from the Latin verb for “move,” author Daniel Gole­man pointed out in Emotional Intelligence, “All emotions are, in essence, impulses to act, the instant plans for handling life that evolution has instilled in us.” Gripped by terror, the woman plunges into action as soon as she realizes her son has not returned home, despite having woken from a deep sleep only minute earlier.

In higher social species, like humans, emotions have also evolved into facial expressions and body language so that each member of the group can signal his or her wants and needs to other members. As John D. Mayer, a leading expert in the study of emotions, has remarked: “Emotions convey information ... about relationships.” His mother’s body language communicates effectively to her son that she is upset without so much as a word.

Whether in the decisions we make or the way we conduct our relationships, emotions have enormous sway over our lives. They even have the power to make us sick or to cure us.

While people have known for centuries that people suffering from the loss of a loved one face a greater risk of premature death, we have only recently learned why. We now know that emotions are relayed to the immune system through a shared link, the autonomic nervous system. As a result, grief and other painful emotions can cause our immune system to shut down, putting us at risk for a whole host of illnesses. Conversely, a healthy emotional outlook boosts our resistance to disease. These findings have given rise to the new field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), which seeks to map out the connection between psychological processes like emotions and the body’s natural defences. It complements psychosomatic or holistic medicine, which treats bodily disorders that have direct psychological causes.

Mayer has emphasized, “People can reason with emotions in the same way they reason with cognitive information. So you can solve emotional problems just as mathematicians solve math problems.”