[tardismechanic]

> What could be more important in life than how you make people feel?

Food, water, shelter, survival, comfort, security.

Is this a joke?

[dwallin]

You can group your first three (food, water, shelter) under your fourth (survival). Then your next two examples are cases of how people feel.

On top of that you can find plenty of clear evidence for situations where humans choose feelings over survival, whether that’s giving up one’s own survival for the sake of people or a cause, or giving up on survival because emotional needs aren’t met.

It’s not as clear cut of a hierarchy as you seem to think it is.

[disambiguation]

Also air, kidneys, the strong nuclear force, the list goes on!

[marc_io]

Sometimes, meaning (which is heavily connected to the way people feel) is all that makes people survive. Ask Viktor Frankl.