Emotions are, at their very root, the impulses we feel that makes us act.

They’re our body’s way of steering us in the direction that evolution has instilled in us over thousands of years.

They can be tricky though - even dangerous.

Anger for instance, can alert us to danger or injustice but we can also find ourselves flying into a blind rage or screaming at a stranger in the street.

It can protect and ruin us in equal measure - so why would we hold on to such a volatile emotion?

Dr. Ryan Martin is Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences & Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, he joins Jonathan to discuss.