Emotions bring colour and meaning to life – in fact, without them, life would be soulless and bland. 

But emotions – like rage, grief and shame – can also bring great pain and suffering. 

So if emotions can cause such distress, why do we have them? What’s the point of them? Why did they evolve in the first place?

Download this table or read below to learn more

If you’d like some help to work with your emotions, take a look at the Compassionate Mind Approach to Difficult Emotions here, or take one of our self-compassion courses here