Sijilmassi et al. propose that historical myths – shared narratives about the ancestral past – are cognitive technologies designed to recruit coalitional support, for example, to prevail in conflicts. They argue that historical myths evolve to be fit-for-purpose; that is, over repeated transmission, the myths adapt to human cognition by tailoring their content for persuasion (to join the coalition) and transmission (as a means of recruiting others). An analogous cultural evolutionary process has been used to explain how language evolves to fit the human brain (Christiansen & Chater, Reference Christiansen and Chater2008). So, according to Sijilmassi et al., cognitive processes shape historical myths. This position echoes Aristotle's notion of “Logos”; a persuasive appeal that relies on clear, logical arguments supported by facts, data, and reasoning.

We note that Sijilmassi et al.'s account of historical myths does not include a role of human emotions. This is at odds with Aristotle's notion of “Pathos”; a persuasive message that appeals to the audience's emotions, by eliciting feelings such as sympathy, anger, frustration, or amusement. We believe this omission renders Sijilmassi et al.'s account of historical myths, and their ability to recruit coalitional support, incomplete. In this commentary, we argue for a role for emotion from two vantage points: Research showing that people's emotions guide their decision making, and by reflecting on the examples of historical myths reported by Sijilmassi et al., and making the case that the emotions they elicit are likely to have driven their ability to recruit coalitional support.

A seminal study by Schwarz and Clore (Reference Schwarz and Clore1983) examined if judgments of happiness and life satisfaction are influenced by a person's mood at the time of the judgment. In one experiment, a happy or sad mood was induced by asking participants to vividly describe a recent happy or sad event in their life, and in another experiment a happy or sad mood was induced by interviewing participants on a sunny or rainy day. In each experiment, participants self-reported greater happiness and life satisfaction when in a good mood than when in a bad mood. These findings indicate that people use their current mood state to inform their judgments, a phenomenon known as “affect-as-information.” Since then, research on emotion and decision making has gained widespread interest and investigation among researchers. Today, the consensus among psychological scientists is that, “emotions are, for better or for worse, the dominant driver of most meaningful decisions in life” (Lerner, Li, Valdesolo, & Kassam, Reference Lerner, Li, Valdesolo and Kassam2015, p. 801).

Many of the historical myths discussed by Sijilmassi et al. – for example, those that concern historical grievances or praises – and the coalitional support they elicit, are likely to be driven by the emotions they evoke. Take for example the complex myth of the Trojan War in ancient Greece, which recounts the legendary conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans over the abduction of Helen by a Trojan prince. The survival and transmission of this myth is likely driven by the strong positive and negative emotions it evokes, including heroism, honor, betrayal, and tragedy. Myths often elicit coalitional support by resonating deeply with the collective emotions and identity of a community. In the case of the Trojan War, the emotions evoked, such as admiration for bravery, sympathy for victims, and outrage at injustices, powerfully shape cultural attitudes, values, and personal and collective identities. These emotions not only influenced how ancient Greeks interpreted their history but continue to inform contemporary perceptions of conflict, sacrifice, and shared experiences which seal their collective memory and identity.

This commentary extends the insights of Sijilmassi et al. by emphasizing the central role of emotions in shaping historical myths and their ability to recruit coalitional support. In various collective emotional gatherings and societal upheavals – ranging from natural disasters to political revolutions – people experience intense emotions, both positive and negative. These shared emotional experiences become ingrained in collective memory, laying the groundwork for the development of historical myths. Research by Méndez Casas et al. (Reference Méndez Casas, Cavalli, El-Astal, Pizarro Carrasco, Padoan Moura, Telletxea Artzamendi and Páez Rovira2023) and Pennebaker, Páez, and Rimé (Reference Pennebaker, Páez and Rimé1997) supports this idea, illustrating how collective emotional experiences contribute to the formation of narratives that unite communities and inform their understanding of historical events. Moreover, during real-world collective gatherings, specific social psychological mechanisms, such as the social sharing of emotions (Rimé, Bouchat, Paquot, & Giglio, Reference Rimé, Bouchat, Paquot and Giglio2020) and emotional synchrony (Pelletier, Reference Pelletier2018) promote prosocial behavior like cooperation, and trust. These phenomena foster emotional connectedness and synchronization within groups, strengthening social bonds and facilitating cooperation.

By emphasizing the strong connection between emotions and decision making, and by highlighting the powerful emotions elicited by historical myths, our commentary aims to extend Sijilmassi et al.'s cognitive account of historical myths. Historical myths, as a particular form of storytelling, represent universal cultural elements where cognition and emotions are woven together, thereby offering prominent functions for large-scale human cooperation and social cohesion. In closing, we argue that the framework proposed by Sijilmassi et al. can benefit from incorporating the emotion-driven narratives as a strategy for recruiting coalitional support.