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A Teleology of Emotions
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Defining emotions is notoriously difficult. I've yet to hear a definition which
captures both its physiological and phenomenological qualities. This absence
makes precise discussions of emotions almost impossible. I believe such a
definition is not strictly necessary in emotional regulation: a teleological
explanation suffices in most contexts.

.. admonition:: Definition (From Wikipedia)
    
    A teleology is a reason or explanation for something as a function of its
    end, purpose, or goal.

The functions of emotions provide an effective scaffolding to build strategies
to modulate one's emotional state and experience thereof.

Here are a few functions of emotions, copy and pasted from Marsha Linehan's
*DBT Skills Training Manual*. These functions underly biopsychosocial theory of
borderline personality disorder.

**Organize and Motivate actions**

  - Emotions prepare our body for physical action.
     - Fear increases heart rate, blood glucose levels, preparing our body
       for physical exertion/movement.
  - Emotions decrease reaction time.
     - Emotions can be thought of as a rapid response system.
     - “Run for your life” is easier when you’re being chased by a lion.
  - Emotions (de)sensitize one to information that is (in)compatible with the
    emotion.

**Influence and Communicate to others**

  - Emotions autonomically influence muscle activation.
     - Facial expressions communicate faster than words.
     - Emotions alter one's posture and movement patterns.
  - Emotions have effects on others that are not learned.
     - This is how we communicate with babies.

**Communicate to ourselves**

  - Emotions signal/alarm that something is going on in a situation.
     - “Listen to your gut."
  - Emotional signals are processed outside our conscious awareness.
     - You must learn through trial-and-error when to trust these responses.

The dual functions of communication and motivation are unique to emotions.