Emotional Literacy

Is it true that happy people live longer? It has been shown that negative emotions can harm the body if experienced for extended periods of time. For example, studies have revealed that one of the negative side effects of prolonged anger and anxiety involves a change in your heart’s electrical stability. However, just as emotions can affect our bodies negatively, they have also been known to influence our bodies in a positive manner. A study found that women and men who were engaged, hopeful and enthusiastic about life saw a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.

 These different studies show the importance of understanding and regulating our own emotions as they not only effect our mental wellbeing but also our physical health. The ability to recognize and control our emotions is referred to as emotional literacy. We often aren’t able to prevent adverse events from occurring in our lives. However, we do have the ability to control how we react to them. Becoming emotionally literate also enables us to develop empathy as we notice the feelings of others and learn to see things from their perspective. These skills are not only important for adults but also for children. While children are developing, we often focus on teaching them how to talk or walk. However, it is just as important to teach them how to be emotionally literate.

 The Government of Alberta created a video that explains the importance of emotional literacy which they refer to as social-emotional learning. Some of the benefits that they outline include the ability for children to set and achieve goals, recognize and manage emotions, form and maintain relationships, show concern for others, understand the perspective of others, make responsible decisions and prepare for and handle difficult situations. These are skills that all children need in order to be successful throughout their lives. Thus, it’s important that we start including emotional literacy learning as one of the foundational skills that we teach our children.

 Sources

Emotional Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/webapps/elearning/TIC/Mod06/story_html5.html. 

Happiness & health. News (2014, February 19). Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/happiness-stress-heart-disease/. 

Kylie Rymanowicz, M. S. U. E. (2021, March 17). Children and empathy: Teaching emotional literacy. Michigan State University. Retrieved from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/children_and_empathy_teaching_emotional_literacy. 

The biology of emotion—and what it may teach us about helping people to live longer. Happiness and Health. (2014, February 19). Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/happiness-stress-heart-disease/. 

Government of Alberta. Retrieved from https://www.alberta.ca/social-emotional-learning.aspx