Recent advances in the psychology of emotion have converged on social, functional, and computational models that deepen our understanding of why emotions matter for individuals, relationships, and societies; Dacher Keltner’s social-functional approach, for example, emphasises that emotions like compassion, gratitude, and shame exist not as isolated feelings but as mechanisms that bind people into cooperative social networks essential for survival and flourishing (e.g., Cowen & Keltner, 2017; Keltner et al., 2022). Social models like these extend classical basic emotion theory by showing how culture and context shape emotional expression and experience across different populations, as demonstrated in large-scale work spanning North America, Europe, and Japan that identifies at least 21 distinct emotional dimensions with both universal and culture-specific patterns. At the same time, computational accounts increasingly characterise emotions as information-processing and evaluative computations in the brain (e.g., Emanuel & Eldar, 2022), tightly linked to learning, decision-making, and predictive coding, rather than merely subjective feelings. These frameworks inform affective computing and machine learning, where algorithms trained on multimodal signals (facial expressions, voice, physiological data) recognise and simulate emotional states to enable empathetic human–computer interaction and real-time emotional support systems, promising applications in mental health, education, and assistive technologies. Cross-cultural psychology further enriches the field by articulating how different cultural scripts and norms shape emotion regulation, social expression, and meaning, underscoring that while some affective responses are widely shared, their articulation and social functions vary across contexts. From a Christian perspective, this scientific work resonates with Biblical insights that emotions are God-given means for relational connection, moral discernment, and communal living: Scripture celebrates emotions such as joy (Philippians 4:4), compassion (Colossians 3:12), and love (1 Corinthians 13:4–7), while also acknowledging righteous sorrow and lament (Psalm 42; Romans 12:15), suggesting that emotions both reflect our created nature and call us toward empathy and spiritual growth. Integrating these psychological advances with faith affirms that emotions are not arbitrary impulses but can be stewarded toward shalom (peace with God, self, and others) when understood in their relational and functional roles. The value of this work for personal wellbeing lies in empowering individuals to understand, regulate, and communicate their emotional lives with greater clarity and compassion, enhancing mental health and resilience. For societal health, it means cultivating empathy-informed policies and technologies that respect cultural diversity, promote social cohesion, and support emotional flourishing across communities.