Do emotions make us ethical?

Examples of moral emotions include sympathy for the suffering of others, guilt about our own immoral behaviour, anger about injustice done to others, contempt for those who behave unethically and disgust at violations of moral norms.

Numerous studies suggest that these reactions are largely based on feelings, rather than on cold cognition. However, we see our moral boundaries as logical and reasonable, not as emotional.

In sum, we can conclude that people who are behaving ethically are at least partially making decisions based on their emotions and feelings, and this emotional reaction will often be a good thing.