Dr. Ethan Kross

So feelings are the part, the facet of our emotional experiences that we're aware of.

That's right. Now, but it does get interesting, right? Like if this were a pink pen and I had a fear of cancer, for example- The pink might activate the thoughts about that cancer and elicit an emotional response. If I have a fear of blood, red, color. So we could generalize and make associations. But right now, I'm free as a bird.

That's right. Now, but it does get interesting, right? Like if this were a pink pen and I had a fear of cancer, for example- The pink might activate the thoughts about that cancer and elicit an emotional response. If I have a fear of blood, red, color. So we could generalize and make associations. But right now, I'm free as a bird.

That's right. Now, but it does get interesting, right? Like if this were a pink pen and I had a fear of cancer, for example- The pink might activate the thoughts about that cancer and elicit an emotional response. If I have a fear of blood, red, color. So we could generalize and make associations. But right now, I'm free as a bird.

Because they give us an edge, because they mobilize us to respond optimally to the situations that we find ourselves in. It's a great question. I'm so glad you asked it. So let's run through a couple of negative emotions that we often describe or hear them described as toxic. Anger, for example.

Because they give us an edge, because they mobilize us to respond optimally to the situations that we find ourselves in. It's a great question. I'm so glad you asked it. So let's run through a couple of negative emotions that we often describe or hear them described as toxic. Anger, for example.

Because they give us an edge, because they mobilize us to respond optimally to the situations that we find ourselves in. It's a great question. I'm so glad you asked it. So let's run through a couple of negative emotions that we often describe or hear them described as toxic. Anger, for example.

Anger is an emotion we experience when our understanding of right and wrong, of how things should be, is violated, and there's an opportunity for us to correct the record. We could actually fix things. My favorite example of this is my daughter rides her bicycle without her helmet. This is not the way things work in the Cross household. right? We care about brain safety. And I see this.

Anger is an emotion we experience when our understanding of right and wrong, of how things should be, is violated, and there's an opportunity for us to correct the record. We could actually fix things. My favorite example of this is my daughter rides her bicycle without her helmet. This is not the way things work in the Cross household. right? We care about brain safety. And I see this.

Anger is an emotion we experience when our understanding of right and wrong, of how things should be, is violated, and there's an opportunity for us to correct the record. We could actually fix things. My favorite example of this is my daughter rides her bicycle without her helmet. This is not the way things work in the Cross household. right? We care about brain safety. And I see this.

She knows better. I get angry. What does that anger do? It zooms me in on the transgression. It motivates me to approach the situation. It is conveying facial expressions to her to say, not good. All of this with the intent of making sure she doesn't do this again so that she doesn't injure herself. Take another example, sadness. How on earth could being sad be functional?

She knows better. I get angry. What does that anger do? It zooms me in on the transgression. It motivates me to approach the situation. It is conveying facial expressions to her to say, not good. All of this with the intent of making sure she doesn't do this again so that she doesn't injure herself. Take another example, sadness. How on earth could being sad be functional?

She knows better. I get angry. What does that anger do? It zooms me in on the transgression. It motivates me to approach the situation. It is conveying facial expressions to her to say, not good. All of this with the intent of making sure she doesn't do this again so that she doesn't injure herself. Take another example, sadness. How on earth could being sad be functional?

Well, we experience sadness when our understanding of the world and who we are is challenged in some way by something that happens that we cannot fix. So we're fired. We're rejected. We lose someone we love. Now we are faced with the task of having to reframe how we think about the world and ourselves in it. And so that takes some energy, right? So what does sadness motivate us to do?

Well, we experience sadness when our understanding of the world and who we are is challenged in some way by something that happens that we cannot fix. So we're fired. We're rejected. We lose someone we love. Now we are faced with the task of having to reframe how we think about the world and ourselves in it. And so that takes some energy, right? So what does sadness motivate us to do?

Well, we experience sadness when our understanding of the world and who we are is challenged in some way by something that happens that we cannot fix. So we're fired. We're rejected. We lose someone we love. Now we are faced with the task of having to reframe how we think about the world and ourselves in it. And so that takes some energy, right? So what does sadness motivate us to do?

It motivates us to kind of slow down physiologically, turn our attention inward to try to reflect on what's happening, to try to do that hard cognitive work. But, and this I find so fascinating, we're a social species, right? And like going away and into a corner to now just brood on this heavy stuff, that could be dangerous.

It motivates us to kind of slow down physiologically, turn our attention inward to try to reflect on what's happening, to try to do that hard cognitive work. But, and this I find so fascinating, we're a social species, right? And like going away and into a corner to now just brood on this heavy stuff, that could be dangerous.

It motivates us to kind of slow down physiologically, turn our attention inward to try to reflect on what's happening, to try to do that hard cognitive work. But, and this I find so fascinating, we're a social species, right? And like going away and into a corner to now just brood on this heavy stuff, that could be dangerous.

We might want to throw some lifelines out to the community to make sure they check up on us. And indeed we do. And the way that sadness allows us to do that is by doing what? Give it to me. Making the... There you go. We're jamming now, right? That is so powerful a cue to pull us in.