Engineering Happiness by Baucells Manel

Author:Baucells, Manel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of California Press

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART: EMOTIONS ARE “SMART”

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Although we may have a tendency to exaggerate the emotion of the moment, we should not ignore such emotions. Emotions, which need not be rational, have intelligence hidden in them (it may sound curious, but our brain naturally tries to make sense of everything, even our laughs and sobs). We feel them for a reason. Emotions and feelings are designed to predict happiness in the near future. In many instances, “follow your heart” turns out to be a very good idea! Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink, argues that intuitive decision making often beats more analytic approaches that ignore emotions.6 Of course, he also shows examples where trained intuition does even better.

The brain researcher Antonio Damasio is famous for showing that individuals unable to feel emotions are very poor decision makers, as they cannot sense the consequences of their actions.7 In the words of David Hume, “Reason is, and only ought to be, the slave of the Passions.” And these passions are the engine for all our deeds. Without these drives we would be inert and unable to act, or even reason.

Often, the inner voice points to the right path. Physical pain, for instance, indicates that something is wrong with the body. If you accidentally touch a hot stove, the pain triggers a quick withdrawal of the hand. Conversely, pleasure is a signal to seek something out; we continue to eat calorie-rich foods because we enjoy the taste.

Negative emotions are part of our lives and no one can claim to have lived a fully human life if he or she has not gone through some emotional darkness. Negative emotions, ironically, are often there to show us the way to happiness. Sadness, for instance, may be a sign to society that we need a little extra help. And loneliness motivates us to leave the comfort of our home to seek a social life, eventually finding friends with whom we manage to establish lasting relationships that bring us happiness.

Emotions can provide a strong drive for change. Romantic love, for example, is sufficiently intense and lasting that it can compel us, effortlessly, to undergo dramatic changes. How many love stories are there in which people turned their lives upside-down in order to be closer to their beloved?

Emotions also have social intelligence. Very likely, if you feel that you've been treated unfairly, you will get angry and seek to punish the offender and demand justice, even if you get hurt yourself.

Hercules was the greatest hero of Greece. He was the strongest man on Earth and could not be defeated by any earthly power. His emotions were quickly aroused and were often out of control, however. In a rage, he killed his wife and children. He even threatened to shoot the sun with an arrow because he was too hot. He was a noble soul, so he paid for his misdeeds by voluntarily accepting punishments.

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