Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth: religions have whipped up these emotions as deadly sins, as sentiments that must be shunned lest one strays from the right path. Science, however, does not look at them as outright negatives. It treats them as complicated ideas that have played a crucial role in humans’ evolutionary success, even made them what they are.
The scholarship on these concepts has grown over the years. Psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, even economists, now study them through different lenses to analyse their role not just in human evolution but also in today’s times, in ensuring one’s mental health or financial well-being, for instance. They are conducting complex scientific studies to examine, explain and explore the rationale behind emotions.
They still do not understand them clearly or completely. How are emotions affected by cultures or genes or the brain? What are their key triggers? Do they have physical and mental costs? Do animals have feelings that correspond to human emotions? Are emotions just human expressions or are we engineered to experience them for some existential benefits?
Rohini Krishnamurthy speaks to scientists and authors to take stock of what we know so far, the historical debates around these emotions and the critical gaps in our understanding. The 32nd anniversary edition of Down To Earth documents these conversations that emphasise one point: emotions are innate to human existence and a part of their biological being.
PRIDE JESSICA L TRACY
Pride evolved in humans to help them navigate through hierarchy, improve status
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 16, 2024-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 16, 2024-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
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In leading role again
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One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
