--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then there are the secondary, mostly…" description: "\"“Then there are the secondary, mostly “social” emotions, such as anxiety, grief, guilt, pride, vengeance, and love. These may be unique to humans—hence..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/scott-atran-26630_love_then-there-are-the-secondary-mostly-soci_1976977.jpg" --- # Then there are the secondary, mostly “social” emotions… ![“Then there are the secondary, mostly “social” emotions, such as anxiety, grief, guilt, pride, vengeance, and love. These may be unique to humans—hence, at the lower level in our evolutionary mountain landscape—and somewhat more liable to cultural manipulation and variation than the primary…” quote by Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/scott-atran-26630_love_then-there-are-the-secondary-mostly-soci_1976977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/scott-atran-26630_love_then-there-are-the-secondary-mostly-soci_1976977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/scott-atran-26630_love_then-there-are-the-secondary-mostly-soci_1976977.jpg) > ““Then there are the secondary, mostly “social” emotions, such as anxiety, grief, guilt, pride, vengeance, and love. These may be unique to humans—hence, at the lower level in our evolutionary mountain landscape—and somewhat more liable to cultural manipulation and variation than the primary, “Darwinian” emotions. Thus, only humans seek revenge or redemption across lifetimes and generations, whatever the cost, although the nature of the deeds that trigger insult or remorse may vary considerably across societies, and the means to counter them may range even wider. Another”” [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans experience complex social emotions that differ from basic survival emotions, shaped by culture and capable of influencing behavior across generations. **In simple terms:** Human social emotions are culturally shaped and can affect actions over long periods. Key Takeaway Recognize how cultural context shapes emotional responses. Themes emotions culture evolution social behavior revenge Mood reflective analytical Type theoretical analytical When to use this quote - interpersonal conflict - justice systems - family dynamics - political movements Key Concepts psychology anthropology evolutionary theory Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural narratives shape your feelings of guilt or pride? - What role does revenge play in your community? A Different Perspective Cultural factors can limit the universality of these emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darwinian Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwinian-emotions-3353212/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Emotions Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions-humans-2506126/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [Social Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-emotions-3264852/) [Vengeance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vengeance/) ## Related quotes > [A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover. The social emotions it generates are equidistant from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/a-bottle-of-wine-begs-to-be-shared-i-have-never-met-a-miserly-wine-2/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Love is the strongest emotion any creature can feel except for hate, but hate can't hurt you. Love, and trust, and friendship, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-atwater-rhodes/love-is-the-strongest-emotion-any-creature-can-feel-except-for-hate/) [Amelia Atwater-Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-atwater-rhodes/) > [“Such a storm of emotions as humans can evoke, all on the basis of imagination,” the dragon observed condescendingly. In a more reflective voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/such-a-storm-of-emotions-as-humans-can-evoke-all-on-the-basis-of/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [“If the secret core of potlatch is the reciprocity of exchange, why is this reciprocity not asserted directly, why does it assume the “mystified”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/if-the-secret-core-of-potlatch-is-the-reciprocity-of-exchange-why-is/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“One bad turn does not excuse another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/one-bad-turn-does-not-excuse-another/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“We must let love simmer, without being consumed by contempt, otherwise atrocity will never end, only switch sides.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/we-must-let-love-simmer-without-being-consumed-by-contempt-otherwise/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/an-eye-for-an-eye-and-a-tooth-for-a-tooth/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The energy spent trying to get revenge can be better spent creating an amazing life. Forget about them. Remember You.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-runwal/the-energy-spent-trying-to-get-revenge-can-be-better-spent-creating/) [Vikas Runwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-runwal/) > [“How insane we are as humans when having received a nasty offense we return the same awful offense. If given an apple found to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/how-insane-we-are-as-humans-when-having-received-a-nasty-offense-we/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Being a vampire for him meant revenge. Revenge against life itself. Every time he took a life it was revenge. It was no wonder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/being-a-vampire-for-him-meant-revenge-revenge-against-life-itself/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [It is unfortunate that in most cases when the sins of the father fall on the son it is because unlike God, people refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-unfortunate-that-in-most-cases-when-the-sins-of-the-father-fall/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I wanted it more than enough. I wanted it with every fiber of my being, and I had the power to make it happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-madow/i-wanted-it-more-than-enough-i-wanted-it-with-every-fiber-of-my-being/) [Michelle Madow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-madow/) > [No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sulla/no-friend-ever-served-me-and-no-enemy-ever-wronged-me-whom-i-have-not/) [Sulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sulla/) > [Vengeance comes not slowly either upon you or any other wicked man, but steals silently and imperceptibly, placing its foot on the bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/vengeance-comes-not-slowly-either-upon-you-or-any-other-wicked-man/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-rarer-action-is-in-virtue-than-in-vengeance/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Scott Atran > [“All religions have core beliefs that confound these innate expectations about the world, such as faith in physically powerful but essentially bodiless deities. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/all-religions-have-core-beliefs-that-confound-these-innate/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“A closer look reveals that God may never have been wholly pleased with His most preferred creations in granting them the parts they have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/a-closer-look-reveals-that-god-may-never-have-been-wholly-pleased/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“There are several types of comparative analysis for garnering evidence for an evolutionary adaptation: structural or behavioral resemblance in different phyletic lines owing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/there-are-several-types-of-comparative-analysis-for-garnering/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Everybody, whether they are religious or not, implicitly knows that religion is costly, counterfactual, and even counterintuitive. 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Such ritual conveys willingness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/religious-ritual-invariably-offers-a-sacrificial-display-of/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“During the first year of life, a child acquires the concept of teleomechanical agency: the child is able to perceive an object’s physical movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/during-the-first-year-of-life-a-child-acquires-the-concept-of/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In religious thought, a person may ride a horse into the sky (Mohammed), ascend to heaven in a chariot of fire (Elijah), rise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-religious-thought-a-person-may-ride-a-horse-into-the-sky-mohammed/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In theocratic societies, adherence to fundamentalism may enhance the fitness of fundamentalists, as opposed to nonfundamentalists, because fundamentalists are more likely to obtain productive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-theocratic-societies-adherence-to-fundamentalism-may-enhance-the/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Cultures and religions exist, and are explained, to the extent that they reliably express stucturally enduring relationships among mental states and behaviors and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/cultures-and-religions-exist-and-are-explained-to-the-extent-that/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Vengefulness signals that a breach in contract will not be tolerated at any cost, even at the price of the avenging individual’s own life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/vengefulness-signals-that-a-breach-in-contract-will-not-be-tolerated/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In sum, the great apes arguably man1 ifest at least some aspects of teleomechanical agency and mentalistic agency (Suddendorf and Whiten 2001); however, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-sum-the-great-apes-arguably-man1-ifest-at-least-some-aspects-of/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In the course of life, all such systems (i.e., the different evolutionary ridges) are somewhat functionally interdependent, as are components within each system (i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-the-course-of-life-all-such-systems-i-e-the-different-evolutionary/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“All religions, I claim, involve counterintuitive beliefs in supernatural beings. Moreover, such beliefs are systematically counterintuitive in the same basic ways. As we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/all-religions-i-claim-involve-counterintuitive-beliefs-in/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Around the start of the fourth year, the child begins to elaborate an understanding of metarepresentational agency: the child attributes intentional attitudes, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/around-the-start-of-the-fourth-year-the-child-begins-to-elaborate-an/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) [Explore all 21 Scott Atran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) ## More Emotions quotes > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [On stage, you can bring all those strong emotions that you don't have the opportunity to live. You don't want to die for love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/on-stage-you-can-bring-all-those-strong-emotions-that-you-don-t-have/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [You will never fully understand how much you mean to me, because there are no amount of words that can begin to describe my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-fully-understand-how-much-you-mean-to-me-because-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) [Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My mind has trouble processing all the emotions I feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mind-has-trouble-processing-all-the-emotions-i-feel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“When love carries us away on its brittle wings, we are too intoxicated to comprehend its power. We just want to soar and feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balroop-singh/when-love-carries-us-away-on-its-brittle-wings-we-are-too-intoxicated/) [Balroop Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balroop-singh/) > [God, help me to focus on Truth instead of the trial. Help me to give thanks instead of giving into fear. Help me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-daugherty/god-help-me-to-focus-on-truth-instead-of-the-trial-help-me-to-give/) [Whitney Daugherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-daugherty/) > [Love is an ocean of emotions entirely sorrounded by expensee..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-an-ocean-of-emotions-entirely-sorrounded-by-expensee/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) [Browse all 4,415 Emotions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Then there are the secondary, mostly “social” emotions, such as anxiety, grief, guilt, pride, vengeance, and love. These may be unique to humans—hence, at the lower level in our evolutionary mountain landscape—and somewhat more liable to cultural manipulation and variation than the primary, “Darwinian” emotions. Thus, only humans seek revenge or redemption across lifetimes and generations, whatever the cost, although the nature of the deeds that trigger insult or remorse may vary considerably across societies, and the means to counter them may range even wider. 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