chapter 1
Link ing A n x iety, Emotion,
and Mindf ulness
E
motions can serve a variety of purposes. They facili-
tate your attention and direct your behavior in ways
that can help you reach your goals. Thus, psychologists say
that emotions have functional value. For example, if you
encounter a skunk while walking outside, your fearful emo-
tional response will not only increase your attention to the
skunk, but also likely lead you to slowly back away from it to
avoid being sprayed. Scientists have suggested that many
emotions, even those that are initially unpleasant— such as
anxiety— also have an evolutionary purpose and can be
better understood as functional mental processes. Although
this claim might be difficult to reconcile with an emotion
such as anxiety, it will become more apparent after you learn
how our current definition of emotion applies to anxiety
itself. By examining each feature of anxiety, you will be in a
better position to understand why anxiety prompts you to
behave and think the way you do in threatening situations.