The way we live and interact with others is influenced by many emotions. Sometimes it can feel like they control us. The choices we make, the actions we take, the point of view from which we perceive the world around us – all this depends on the emotions we experience at any given moment. Psychologists have put forward several theories that help classify and explain different types of emotions.
What emotions are considered basic?
In the 1970s, American psychologist Paul Ekman singled out six basic emotions that are experienced equally by representatives of different cultures. These are happiness, sadness (sadness), disgust, fear, surprise and anger (anger).
Another American psychologist – Robert Plutchik – put forward his theory and created on its basis a “wheel of emotions”, which works on the principle of a color wheel. It has eight basic emotions: delight, admiration, horror, amazement, grief, disgust, anger and wariness. They can combine with each other to create different feelings, just as colors can mix to create different shades.
According to Plutchik’s ideas, basic emotions are the building blocks from which more complex, sometimes contradictory feelings are built. For example, such basic emotions as joy and trust can combine into such a complex feeling as love.
More modern research showthat describing basic emotions requires many more categories than previously thought—up to 27. However, these are not completely discrete feelings, but rather experiences along a gradient.
How basic emotions affect us and our lives
1. Happiness
Many people, as a rule, strive most for this emotion. Happiness is usually described as a pleasant emotional state characterized by enjoyment, satisfaction, pleasure, joy and well-being.
Externally, happiness can be expressed, for example, by a smile, a relaxed posture, or a pleasant and enthusiastic manner of conversation.
And although happiness is considered one of the basic human emotions, what, in our opinion, can bring it, changes under the influence of the cultural environment. In pop culture, happiness is often associated with achieving certain goals, such as buying your own apartment or getting a high-paying job.
In reality, the conditions for achieving happiness are much more complex and individual. At the same time it Maybe make a difference to our physical and mental state. For example, happy people live Are longer and more likely to be satisfied with their marriage.
Lack of happiness, on the contrary, can result in adverse health consequences. Stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness tie up with decreased immunity and reduced life expectancy.
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2. Sadness
This basic emotion is characterized by feelings of disappointment, grief and hopelessness, as well as a lack of interest and a depressed emotional state. Like any other emotion, everyone experiences sadness from time to time. Long and severe sad periods can in some cases develop into depression.
Manifestations of sadness may include tears, low mood, lethargy, and a desire to be quiet and withdraw from other people.
The depth and duration of sadness depend on what caused it and how a person copes with it. People use different coping strategies, and some may, for example, avoid communicating with others, engage in self-medication, or endlessly scroll negative thoughts in their heads. All of this can actually intensify sadness and prolong its effects.
3. Fear
This powerful emotion plays an important role in survival. When a person faces danger and experiences fear, starts fight or flight mechanism. Muscles tense, heart rate and breathing quicken, and consciousness sharpens, preparing the body for either flight or battle.
This reaction is necessary so that a person is ready to effectively deal with environmental threats. Fear can be recognized by dilated pupils, a retracted chin, a defensive posture, impulses to run and hide, rapid breathing and a rapid heartbeat.
Of course, not everyone experiences fear the same way. Some may be more sensitive and therefore certain situations or objects are more likely to evoke this basic emotion in them.
Fear is an emotional reaction to an immediate threat. But it can also occur in response to anticipated danger or even thoughts of potential danger, which is commonly called anxiety. Social anxiety, for example, involves anticipated fear of situations in which one will interact with other people.
On the other hand, some deliberately seek out circumstances that provoke fear, such as participating in extreme sports and seeming to enjoy the thrill. When a person repeatedly interacts with the object of his fear, he gradually becomes more familiar with him and adapts to the situation, which can reduce fear and anxiety.
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4. Disgust
This basic emotion is manifested by the person turning away from the object that causes disgust, experiencing bouts of nausea and vomiting, wrinkling the nose or pursing the upper lip.
Disgust can occur for a number of reasons, including an unpleasant taste, sight, or smell. Scientists believe that this emotion arose as a reaction to foods that could be harmful or deadly. Spoiled food, for example, very often causes disgust.
Poor hygiene, infection, blood, rot and death can also lead to disgust. Perhaps this is how the body avoids anything that may contain pathogens of infectious diseases.
In addition, a person is also capable of experiencing moral disgust when observing behavior that he considers unpleasant, immoral, or evil.
5. Anger
This very strong emotion can be accompanied by hostility, agitation, frustration and dislike of others. Like fear, anger can trigger the fight-or-flight response. When a threat makes a person angry, he is more likely to fend it off and defend himself.
Anger can be manifested by a frowning facial expression, a decisive posture or, conversely, avoidance from the source of danger, a rude tone and shouting. When angered, people become sweaty and flushed, and engage in aggressive behavior such as hitting or throwing objects.
And although it is generally considered a negative emotion, sometimes anger can be constructive. When it helps clarify needs in relationships or motivates to act and look for solutions to problems.
However, anger itself becomes a problem when it is excessive or expressed in ways that are unhealthy, dangerous, or harmful to others. Uncontrolled anger can quickly escalate into aggression, insults, or violence. It prevents you from making rational decisions and can have a negative impact on your physical well-being. Anger tie up with coronary heart disease and diabetes, as well as behaviors that pose health risks such as aggressive driving, alcohol abuse and smoking.
6. Surprise
Usually this emotion does not last long and is accompanied by slight fear when encountering something unexpected. Surprise can be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. When someone suddenly jumps around a corner in the dark, it’s an unpleasant surprise, but when family and friends unexpectedly gather to celebrate a birthday, it’s a pleasant one.
Surprise is most often conveyed through raised eyebrows, wide eyes, an open mouth, an involuntary recoil, a scream or a sharp sigh.
This is another emotion that can trigger the fight or flight response. When people are frightened can experience a rush of adrenaline that prepares the body to flee or fight.
In addition, people inclined pay disproportionate attention to unexpected events and remember them better than others, believe unexpected arguments more, and learn better from unexpected information.
What else is useful to know about emotions?
The basic emotions described by Paul Ekman are just one possible way to classify and describe different types of emotions. He originally believed that these six emotions were universal to people all over the world. Later he revised his approach and expanded the list of basic emotions, adding pride, shame, embarrassment, contempt, guilt, excitement and others. At the same time, Ekman noted that, unlike basic ones, not all of them are necessarily expressed through facial expressions.
As is the case with many other psychological concepts, not all theorists agree on the typology of emotions and which ones Can considered basic. For example, some believe that only two or three apply to them. Others believe that emotions obey a certain hierarchy. That is, primary emotions such as love, joy, surprise, anger or sadness can be divided into secondary ones. Then love, for example, will consist of such secondary emotions as affection and longing. Secondary emotions, in turn, are broken down into tertiary ones, and then the components of attachment will be sympathy, care, compassion and tenderness.
In other words, emotions are not states that arise in isolation from each other. On the contrary, there are entire gradients of emotions that are deeply interconnected. By studying their nature, researchers will learn more about how emotions affect brain activity, behavior and mood, and can develop more effective treatments for mental illness.
Guide to Emotions 😢😳😃