Darwin’s theory of evolution was based on the belief that an organism’s adaptation to its environment allows it the chance of greater and better survival; thus, being able to reproduce offspring that can continue from one generation to the next. The fact that an organism depends on its environment to basically survive, it is therefore very important that it learns to adapt, cope and develop mechanisms that will allow its continuation. Hence, the evolution of emotions which are, “Adaptations that have arisen in response to the adaptive problem of mechanism orchestration” (Tooby & Cosmides, 1990a; Tooby, 1985 as cited in Cosmides & Tooby (2000)
In other words, emotions assist us in making quick decisions such as flight or fight reaction or rejecting
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If the individual faces a threat that poses less harm, he or she might have the tendency to fight back. Whereas, the individual might run to escape the danger, if the threat appears to be overpowering. In other words, the emotion of fear helps us in our decision-making process, and aids in our survival. Hence, this emotion shields and protects us from, “Predators that pose threat to both the survival of the individual and its species and can be traced back to evolutionary times. In addition, fear helps to protect you and is therefore adaptive” (Lamia, 2011, p.1). Fear can be traced back to evolutionary times when humans and animals had to breed in dangerous environments and then fight to shield and protect their young from …show more content…
It spurs defense against aggression or warding off opponents such as wild animals” (Ruiz, 2017, p.1). The importance of this emotion can be taken for granted, since, it is often seen in a negative light. However, if we do not have such an emotion we may not survive. I cannot imagine seeing a huge dog viciously running towards me, barking at me and not react in anger towards that dog. My state of anger would allow me to find something to smash that dog in defense. Therefore, this situation evoked a physiological response that sparked a fighting reaction in me. In other words, anger was like an inner energy that rose within me so that I can guard