Our instincts aren't so irrational after all. In fact, there is often logic in emotion, and emotion in logic.
"Feeling Smart" by Eyal Winter reveals the hidden rationality in feelings like trust, anger, shame, ego, and generosity, and ultimately presents a surprising and very persuasive defense of how we think--even when we don't.
Emotions are an effective and sophisticated tool for balancing and complementing our rational side. In the end, it is the feeling and thinking person who has the advantage, not the person who relies on thought alone.
Emotions are a mechanism assisting us in decision making.
They were formed, shaped, and developed during our evolution in order to amplify our chances of survival. Humanity has been blessed to have, in addition to an emotional mechanism, another important mechanism assisting us in decision making--the ability to conduct rational analysis.
In contrast to emotions such as fear, sadness, and regret, which can be defined as autonomous emotions, emotions such as anger, envy, hatred, and empathy are social emotions. The distinction between autonomous emotions and social emotions is especially important for understanding the concept of "rational emotions." Autonomous emotions influence our own decisions, while social emotions influence both our decisions and the decisions of others.
In many cases our emotions are there to enable us to arrive at rapid and nearly automatic decisions, but in other cases, especially when weighty issues are at stake, our emotions challenge our rational thought processes. In the end, it is the feeling and thinking person who has the advantage, not the person who relies on thought alone.
Source: Eyal Winter: Feeling Smart: Why Our Emotions Are More Rational Than We Think