Q. Wouldn’t life be easier if you could be free of emotions?

I suppose the answer could depend on your definition of “easier” and the type of life you want to live. If you wanted to be a robot without feelings (that the brain creates from emotions), maybe. Emotions play a huge role in life. Yes, life could be easier without “unmanaged or poorly-managed” emotions. My brain’s opinion is that life would not be easier without “well-managed” emotions. A human brain without emotions would be basically motionless, like a clock without a power source. Emotions generate energy. Joy, a positive emotion, provides energy to live life in its fullness. There are three protective core emotions: Anger, that tells you that your boundaries have been invaded; Fear, that alerts you to danger (unless it is imagined fear); and Sadness, that confirms you have experienced a loss. You choose how you use or express the energy these emotions provide.

Without emotions there would be no joy with the sound of music, the voice of a loved one, eating dinner with friends, exciting sports and stage plays, travel to see new sights and sounds and experience new odors, tasty foods, languages, and so on. Emotions (anger) inform you that your boundaries have been invaded and give you energy to take appropriate action. Emotions (fear) alert you to danger and generate energy to help; you protect yourself and those you love—imagined fear can immobilize you needlessly. Emotions (sadness) help you grieve losses in your life and provide energy for you to recover and move toward a healthier and more rewarding life, compared with staying mired in despair.