What are emotions?

Have you ever felt super happy? Or maybe a little mad? How about sad? Well, those are emotions. But what are emotions? 

Emotions are the way that you feel about the things that are happening to you. Every day we come across situations that can make us feel happy, sad, or excited (or many other feelings). Imagine you are at a party with your friends when suddenly someone starts handing out carrot cake, which happens to be your favorite flavor! But Oh Surprise! you get the smallest piece. You feel angry, sad and maybe frustrated because that is so unfair! If you think like you are going bananas by feeling multiple emotions at once do not worry! Feelings are a normal part of our every day. 

To understand what’s behind our emotions, scientists study the human brain. Scientists have many ways to study the brain and how it relates to our feelings. A very popular way scientists have studied our reactions is with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI looks like a big white tunnel that is able to take pictures of the inside of your body, in this case, scientists take pictures of the brain. 

By using MRI, scientists have discovered that emotions are processed in many parts of our brain.  All of the different regions have their own job, but also they all work together to identify and control an emotion. The amygdala, for instance, is a tiny part of the brain located in the center, and it is responsible for handling both positive and negative information. For example, when you are scared the amygdala makes sure to activate the parts of your brain that controls your legs and arms in case you need to run!. Happiness originates in the limbic cortex, while love is triggered by the hypothalamus!  

It is very important to acknowledge that it is alright to have many different emotions. You can feel  happy, sad, frustrated, lonely, nervous, scared, loved, and proud. Understanding your emotions can help you communicate how you feel to others, who can help you cope with what you are feeling. Knowing this, you can explain to your parents, friends, or teachers how you are feeling and why you think you are feeling this way. You can also help a friend, by letting them know that it is ok to feel and that their brain is working hard trying to process their emotions. We can all use some kindness! 

Now you know that, next time you are very happy and proud because you got an A in math, you also know that your brain was working on that emotion too!

By Gabriela Kuri