The Evolutionary Role of Emotions in Decision-Making
If you’ve ever made a snap decision based on a gut feeling—whether to trust a stranger, dodge a goat, or say yes to a second helping of pie—you’ve tapped into one of the oldest survival tools in our species’ toolkit: emotion. Long before spreadsheets and strategic plans, our ancestors relied on feelings to navigate danger, forge alliances, and choose where to build the next fire. Emotions weren’t distractions from rational thought—they were the scaffolding that made thought possible. 🧠Emotions as Ancient Algorithms Fear, for example, isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a finely tuned alarm system. It evolved to help us detect threats faster than conscious reasoning could. Disgust? A microbial defense mechanism. Joy? A social glue that reinforced cooperation and trust. These emotions shaped decision-making long before language. They helped early humans decide whom to approach, what to eat, when to flee, and where to settle. In essence, emotions were the original decision-making soft...