Emotions are an integral part of human life, including those that are perceived as negative. Stress, anxiety, and fear are natural reactions of the organism to external stimuli. However, the current media narrative frequently portrays them as the reason for the many problems in life, which invites the notion that the elimination of adverse emotional reactions will resolve these issues. Scientific research and religious Biblical texts seem to agree that all emotions are important, even the negative ones.
The current scientific outlook on the role of negative emotions is that they communicate to the brain that negative stimuli are present. Unlike the rational part of the brain, which can analyze the situation, the old brain does not distinguish the nature of the threat, forcing the body into alert state (Rowe & Fitness, 2018). Negative emotions are important indicators of adverse stimuli, without which the brain would not be able to recognize the danger.
Religion also emphasizes the importance of negative emotions as natural processes. Ecclesiastes 3:4 has the following lines: “A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance” (Holy Bible, 2013, p. 847). This passage indicates the Christian understanding that all emotions are natural, including negative ones. The implication is that a person should feel the stress, anger, or anxiety to complete the emotional cycle before their mood can change.
Altogether, it should be evident that removing negative emotions would deprive people of important indicators of adverse stimuli and natural means of handling challenging obstacles. Without stress, anxiety, and fear, people would be oblivious to the dangers and be left without vital coping mechanisms. As with all natural phenomena, negative emotions exist for a reason, while circumventing them would deprive people of essential information that can only be transmitted via negative emotions.
References
Holy Bible. (2013). Zondervan.
Rowe, A. D., & Fitness, J. (2018). Understanding the role of negative emotions in adult learning and achievement: A functional social perspective. Behavioral Sciences, 8(2), 1-20.