Emotions allow other people to understand us.
When we interact with other people, it is important to give cues to help them understand how we are feeling. These cues might involve emotional expression through body language, such as various facial expressions connected with the particular emotions we are experiencing. In other cases, it might involve directly stating how we feel. When we tell friends or family members that we are feeling happy, sad, excited, or frightened, we are giving them important information that they can then use to take action.