Here's a rundown of those seven universal emotions, what they look like, and why we're biologically hardwired to express them this way:
- Anger.
- Fear.
- Disgust.
- Happiness.
- Sadness.
- Surprise.
- Contempt.
In his book, Why Did God Give us Emotions?, Reneau Peurifoy stresses the importance of recognizing how the individual aspects of emotions interconnect. Emotions are complex and mysterious. They can bring us to heights of ecstasy down to the rocks of despair. They can bind us together or tear us apart.
Primal emotions, such as fear, are associated with ancient parts of the brain and presumably evolved among our premammal ancestors. Filial emotions, such as a human mother's love for her offspring, seem to have evolved among early mammals. Social emotions, such as guilt and pride, evolved among social primates.
Despite the name, the real problem for people with alexithymia isn't so much that they have no words for their emotions, but that they lack the emotions themselves. Still, not everyone with the condition has the same experiences.
We now know that this is not true — emotions have as much to do with the heart and body as they do with the brain. Of the bodily organs, the heart plays a particularly important role in our emotional experience. The experience of an emotion results from the brain, heart and body acting in concert.
In order to better understand what emotions are, let's focus on their three key elements, known as the subjective experience, the physiological response, and the behavioral response.
Emotions can play an important role in how we think and behave. The emotions we feel each day can compel us to take action and influence the decisions we make about our lives, both large and small. A physiological component (how your bodies react to the emotion)
This leaves us with four "basic" emotions, according to this study: happy, sad, afraid/surprised, and angry/disgusted.
An emotional response consists of three types of components: behavioral, autonomic, and hormonal. The behavioral component consists of muscular movements that are appropriate to the situation that elicits them. Autonomic responses facilitate the behaviors and provide quick mobilization of energy for vigorous movement.
Where do emotions come from? The limbic system is a group of interconnected structures located deep within the brain. It's the part of the brain that's responsible for behavioral and emotional responses.
Summary: Most people agree that emotions can be caused by a specific event and that the person experiencing it is aware of the cause, such as a child's excitement at the sound of an ice cream truck. But recent research suggests emotions also can be unconsciously evoked and manipulated.
Emotional Release: Step by Step
- FIND A WAY TO BE ALONE.
- ALLOW YOURSELF to cry, rant, rave, or curse people out.
- DO NOT MAKE YOURSELF THE TARGET OF YOUR RANT — find someone else to blame, whether or not this other person is really the villain.
- GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS.
- DO NOT CENSOR YOURSELF.
There are healthy ways to
cope with difficult
triggers, and those suffering can feel reassured they don't have to give
triggers power.
Trigger Management: Healthy Coping Skills
- Exercising.
- Resting.
- Therapy or counseling.
- Meditation or mindfulness.
- Spending time with positive people.
Some of the psychological and emotional signs that you're stressed out include: Depression or anxiety. Anger, irritability, or restlessness. Feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or unfocused. Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much.
c, The 12 distinct varieties of emotional prosody that are preserved across cultures correspond to 12 categories of emotion—Adoration, Amusement, Anger, Awe, Confusion, Contempt, Desire, Disappointment, Distress, Fear, Interest and Sadness.
Sadness is an emotional pain associated with, or characterized by, feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, grief, helplessness, disappointment and sorrow. Sadness is one of the "six basic emotions" described by Paul Ekman, along with happiness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust.
A fundamental difference between feelings and emotions is that feelings are experienced consciously, while emotions manifest either consciously or subconsciously.
Laughter can be classified according to: the emotion it is expressed with: relief, mirth, joy, happiness, embarrassment, apology, confusion, nervous laughter, paradoxical laughter, courtesy laugh, evil laughter.
Annoyance is an unpleasant mental state that is characterized by irritation and distraction from one's conscious thinking. It can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. The property of being easily annoyed is called irritability.
Mania is what makes bipolar disorder different. Some people experience this as feeling very happy, but others feel very irritable or angry during an episode of mania.
Solitude is simply the state of being apart from others, not everyone who experiences solitude feels lonely. As a subjective emotion, loneliness can be felt even when surrounded by other people; one who feels lonely, is lonely. The causes of loneliness are varied.
Robert Plutchik's theory
- Fear → feeling of being afraid, frightened, scared.
- Anger → feeling angry.
- Sadness → feeling sad.
- Joy → feeling happy.
- Disgust → feeling something is wrong or nasty.
- Surprise → being unprepared for something.
- Trust → a positive emotion; admiration is stronger; acceptance is weaker.
