Different types of feeling

Our Basic Emotions Infographic | List of Human Emotions

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When you see people smiling, you know they’re happy. When they’re crying, you know they’re sad. Across cultures, recognizable facial expressions and certain reactions have become associated with the basic emotions. You pick up on these visual cues from person to person, but do you know what goes into them?

Below, we explore the theories of basic emotions, as well as how they’re represented and how they differ from complex emotions.

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The Six Basic Emotions

A widely accepted theory of basic emotions and their expressions, developed Paul Ekman, suggests we have six basic emotions. They include sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. ^[1]

Sadness

An emotional state characterized by feelings of disappointment, grief or hopelessness

Expression: Frown, loss of focus in eyes, tears

Happiness

A pleasant emotional state that elicits feelings of joy, contentment and satisfaction

Expression: Smile, laughter

Fear

A primal emotion that is important to survival and triggers a fight or flight response

Expression: Wide eyes, tense stretched lips

Anger

An emotional state leading to feelings of hostility and frustration

Expression: Glare, eyebrows drawn together, tight lips

Surprise

A brief emotional state, either positive or negative, following something unexpected

Expression: Raised brows, open mouth, gasp

Disgust

A strong emotion that results in feeling repulsed

Expression: Wrinkled nose, gagging, no eye contact

Other Theories of Basic Emotions

Many other theories of basic emotions exist. They include, but aren’t limited to:

The Wheel of Emotion: Developed by Robert Plutchik, groups eight basic emotions in pairs of opposites ^[1]

Joy-Sadness

Anger-Fear

Trust-Distrust

Surprise-Anticipation

Four Basic Emotions: Based on research by Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, suggests there are only four basic emotions ^[2]

Happiness

Sadness

Fear/Surprise

Anger/Disgust

Basic vs. Complex Emotions

Unlike basic emotions, complex emotions vary in their appearances across people and cultures. Some examples of complex emotions include grief, jealousy and regret.

Complex emotions are made up of two or more basic emotions. For example, fear, anger and disgust make up the complex emotion of hate. ^[3]

Basic Emotion	Complex Emotion
Expression is universally recognizable	Expression varies & can be hard to recognize
Produced automatically	Requires cognitive processing
Pure, can’t be deconstructed	Made up of multiple emotions

Emotions, both basic and complex, play a huge role in how we live our lives, our physical health and our interpersonal relationships.

“Emotions change how we see the world and how we interpret the actions of others.” – Paul Ekman, “Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life”

The study of basic emotions is far from complete. Interested in learning more about theories of emotion and emotions’ effect on humans psychologically and physically? Consider an online psychology degree from the University of West Alabama. If you already hold a bachelor’s in psychology, consider our online master’s in experimental psychology. At UWA, you’ll earn your degree entirely online at one of the state’s most affordable institutions. Our culturally and intellectually diverse institution and flexible structure allow you to challenge yourself while still fitting education into your busy lifestyle.

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53 Ways to Express What You’re Feeling

You can talk about your emotions with practice, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.

Emotions are an essential part of who you are, but they can be messy, complicated, and downright confusing at times. Knowing how to name your emotions and talk about them — with both yourself and others — is a key part of developing emotional health.

You don’t have to navigate the process of identifying your emotions alone.

Paul Ekman, a psychologist and leading researcher on emotions, surveyed more than 100 scientists and used their input to develop what’s known as the Atlas of Emotions.

This online interactive tool breaks down emotions into five main categories:

anger
fear
sadness
disgust
enjoyment

Keep in mind that this is just one way of categorizing emotions. For example, a 2017 study suggests there are 27 categories of emotion.

But Ekman’s concept of five main types of emotion offers a good framework for breaking down the complexity of all the feels. Here’s a look at what each of these five categories involves.

People generally like to feel happy, calm, and good. You might express these feelings by smiling, laughing, or indulging yourself.

You might feel enjoyment when:

You feel close and connected to people you care about.
You feel safe and secure.
You’re doing something that triggers sensory pleasure.
You’re absorbed in an activity.
You feel relaxed and at peace.

How to talk about it

Some words you can use to describe different kinds of enjoyment include:

happiness
love
relief
contentment
amusement
joy
pride
excitement
peace
satisfaction

If enjoyment and its related feelings seem out of reach, try to take a look at how other emotions or feelings may be getting in the way, such as:

trouble focusing on what’s happening in the present
worry
stress
a low or anxious mood

Everyone feels sad from time to time. This emotion might relate to a specific event, such as a loss or rejection. But in other cases, you might have no idea why you feel sad.

How to talk about it

When you’re sad, you might describe yourself as feeling:

lonely
heartbroken
gloomy
disappointed
hopeless
grieved
unhappy
lost
troubled
resigned
miserable

Sadness can be hard to shake, but depending on your situation, these tips might help:

Mourn. Mourning is a typical part of grief. Whether you’re trying to recover from a loss, breakup, change, or failure to reach a goal, acknowledging your loss can help you accept and work through it. Everyone grieves in their own way, so do what feels right to you. It might help to talk about the pain you’re in, but it also might help to simply sit with your feelings for a while or express them creatively.
Do something meaningful. Doing something to help others or give back to society can help you feel more connected with other people. If you’ve recently lost someone you love, consider finishing a project they cared about or donating your time to a cause they supported.
Reach out for support. This is easier said than done when you’re at a low point. Try to remember the people in your life who care for you and likely want to help you. The pain of heartache does ease with time, even if you can’t imagine it at the moment.

It may help to talk with a therapist if your sadness lingers or begins to have a significant impact on daily life and makes it hard to work, go to school, or maintain your relationships.

Fear happens when you sense any type of threat. Depending on that perceived threat, fear can range from mild to severe.

Keep in mind that the level of fear you feel doesn’t always match up with the intensity of the threat. For example, if you live with anxiety, you might feel fear around situations that don’t actually pose much of a threat — though that doesn’t make the fear any less real.

How to talk about it

Fear can make you feel:

worried
doubtful
nervous
anxious
terrified
panicked
horrified
desperate
confused
stressed

Fear is a totally normal emotion — and one that likely kept your ancestors from being eaten alive. There are things you can do to manage this feeling:

Confront fear instead of avoiding it. If you’re afraid of something, whether it’s a serious discussion, meeting new people, or driving, it’s natural to want to stay away from the source of your fear. But this can often make your fear worse. Instead, try to face your fear safely. For example, if you develop a fear of driving, get back in your car and drive again right away. Stick close to home at first if it helps, but don’t avoid it.
Distract yourself from your fear. Sometimes fear can become so overwhelming that it’s hard to think about anything else. But ruminating, or letting the same thoughts play out over and over again, can have a negative impact on your emotional state. It can also make fear worse. If you feel yourself fixating on a worry or source of stress, try to do something distracting. Listen to an audiobook or podcast, cook with a new recipe, or go for a walk or jog with energizing music.
Consider the fear logically. Take a moment to think about your fear. Is there anything you can do about it? Can it actually harm you? What’s the worst thing that could happen if your fear came true? What would you do in that scenario? Knowing how you would deal with your fear can help you feel less afraid.

It’s important to not get discouraged if these tips seem impossible or overwhelming — they can be hard to accomplish on your own.

Consider working with a therapist, who can help you navigate mental health issues around fear, such as:

panic attacks
phobias
anxiety

Anger usually happens when you experience some type of injustice. This experience can make you feel threatened, trapped, and unable to defend yourself.

Many people think of anger as a negative thing, but it’s a normal emotion that can help you know when a situation has become toxic.

How to talk about it

Words you might use when you feel angry include:

annoyed
frustrated
peeved
contrary
bitter
infuriated
irritated
mad
cheated
vengeful
insulted

There are a lot of ways to deal with anger, many of which can cause problems for you and those around you.

The next time you find yourself in a huff, try these tips for managing anger more productively:

Take a break. When you feel frustrated, putting some distance between yourself and the upsetting situation can help you avoid in-the-moment reactions or angry outbursts. Try taking a walk or listening to a calming song. While you’re away, take a few minutes to consider what’s causing your anger. Does the situation have another perspective? Can you do anything to make it better?
Express your anger constructively. You might avoid talking about your anger to help prevent conflict. Internalizing can seem like a safe strategy, but your anger can fester, and you may end up holding a grudge. This can affect your interpersonal relationships as well as your emotional well-being. Instead, take time to cool off if you need it, and then try expressing your feelings calmly and respectfully.
Focus on finding a solution. Anger is often difficult to deal with because it makes you feel helpless. Working to solve the problem that’s causing your anger can help relieve this frustration. You may not be able to fix every situation that makes you angry, but you can usually bring about some improvement. Ask other people involved what they think and work together. You can also try asking your loved ones for their input. Different perspectives can help you consider solutions you may not have seen yourself.

Everyone gets angry from time to time. But if you feel like you have anger issues, a therapist can help you develop effective tools for dealing with these emotions.

You typically experience disgust as a reaction to unpleasant or unwanted situations. Like anger, feelings of disgust can help protect you from things you want to avoid.

It can also pose problems if it leads you to dislike certain people, including yourself, or situations that aren’t necessarily bad for you.

How to talk about it

Disgust might cause you to feel:

dislike
revulsion
loathing
disapproving
offended
horrified
uncomfortable
nauseated
disturbed
withdrawn
aversion

Disgust can happen as a natural response to something you dislike. In some situations, you might want to work through or overcome your disgust. These strategies can help:

Practice compassion. It’s common to feel uncomfortable when facing things you fear or don’t understand. Many people dislike being around sick people, for example. If you feel disturbed when thinking about sick people, try spending some time with an unwell friend or loved one, or offering to help them out. It’s important to take steps to protect your own health, so first, make sure their illness is not contagious.
Focus on the behavior, not the person. If someone you care about does something that offends or disgusts you, you may disapprove and react by withdrawing, pushing them away, or getting angry. Instead, try talking with that person. For example, if your sister smokes, avoid coughing loudly or making pointed comments about the smell of tobacco. Instead, tell her that cigarette smoke makes you feel sick and you’re concerned for her health. Offer to help her quit or work with her on finding support.
Expose yourself slowly. Some things may turn your stomach no matter what. Maybe you can’t stand any type of creepy-crawly creature but wish you could try gardening. To get over your disgust for worms, you might start by reading about them and looking at pictures of them. If you worry about them getting on your hands, you could try wearing gardening gloves. If you don’t like watching them move, you could try watching short video clips about worms to get used to them before seeing them in real life.

If you feel strong dislike toward a group of people, a specific person, or yourself, consider talking with a therapist about your feelings (noticing a theme here?).

Even if you are not sure exactly what’s behind your disgust, a therapist can help you work through the emotion and explore positive ways of coping with it.

Emotions can be complicated. Some might feel intense, while others seem mild in comparison. You might feel conflicting emotions at any given time.

But emotions can serve a purpose, even when they’re negative. Instead of trying to change the emotions you experience, consider how you react to them. It’s usually the reactions that create challenges, not the emotions themselves.

Types of feelings in psychology 🍋 list of what feelings a person has

Written by Lemonday at 6/30/2019 . Posted by Psychology

Thanks to the senses, a person sees the world brightly and richly. Feelings and emotions occupy a significant place in the personality structure , differentiating the internal state. Feelings help to find the vector of movement of the personality and make sure that the choice is correct, give signals to the body about the internal state. It is possible to distinguish various types of feelings, each of which is significant for the development of the individual. Feelings can be divided into certain types, depending on the defining feature and various characteristics.

Contents

Feelings

Feelings are a special form of the relationship of the individual to the ongoing phenomena of reality, establish compliance or non-compliance with various needs, and are distinguished by the stability of manifestation.

On the basis of sensory perception it is possible to determine the individual's emotional attitude to various phenomena, highlight moral values and beliefs, and study the inner world of a person. Feelings and experiences perceive and reflect the occurring phenomena of reality, and then are expressed outside. Personal development is directly related to sensory development, being a necessary condition for emotional development. Together with individual consciousness and educational influences , sensual images are formed and individual personal characteristics develop.

Sense functions

Motivational - responsible for identifying the motives of behavior and putting them into practice.
Signaling - feelings can give a signal to an individual about unmet needs, directing all activity.
Estimated - thanks to this function, a person can determine the significance of what is happening, differentiate objects into more important and secondary ones.
Synthesis of images - selects, synthesizes, analyzes images of various stimuli and reflects them in the form of structural formations.
Expressive - provides non-verbal communication.

Feelings

Higher Senses

The emergence of these feelings is based on satisfaction or dissatisfaction of spiritual needs . (Inferior senses are associated with organic needs such as sleep, food, water, comfortable temperature, and others.) Higher feelings are closely connected with the social character , socializing and developing the personality. The manifestation and direction of higher feelings are individual for everyone, depending on the worldview, internal principles, moral standards, aesthetic assessments. Thanks to the development of higher feelings, a person becomes moral, responsible and worthy, can show love and gratitude.

Moral feelings

Moral feelings are based on a person's understanding of not only personal goals and interests, but also the interests of the collective, organization, state, and people. This type of feelings includes patriotism, duty and responsibility to other people, collectivism .
Moral feelings are deep feelings of duties to people not based on scientific knowledge and judgment.
In the event that for an individual the success of his nation causes delight, the successes of the collective please no less than his own, then a person has developed moral feelings at a high level. Let us give an example of such a moral feeling as sense of duty - outstanding feats of soldiers during the war, who at the cost of their own lives defended their homeland and showed courage and selflessness. But not only a sense of duty can manifest itself in wartime, but also in everyday life. For example, , it is thanks to a sense of duty that the student does his homework , refusing to watch the cartoon. A child may sacrifice playing with friends for the sake of caring for a sick mother. You can also highlight such a moral feeling as conscience , which is directly related to self-assessment of one's own actions and behavior. When performing a positive act, a person feels joy and moral satisfaction , he is completely sure of the correctness of his action. Another act can cause internal contradictions in a person and lead to torments of conscience and a moral dilemma.
Intellectual senses
This type of feeling is directly related to the cognitive and intellectual activity of the individual . This is an expression of a person's attitude to his own thoughts, the process of cognition and the results of intellectual work. Intellectual feelings include, for example, a feeling of surprise when receiving unexpected conclusions, doubts about an ambiguous statement, a feeling of confidence in one's views and conclusions, and a sense of satisfaction from the work done.
Aesthetic feelings
These feelings are especially often experienced by people with a creative personality, these are feelings such as understanding of beauty, love of beauty .
The main source of aesthetic feelings is a work of art, such as theater, music, cinema, painting and others.
Also, a person can experience aesthetic feelings when contemplating nature, which are distinguished by a special depth.
Dependence of feelings on personality traits
One can judge the personality of a person not only by words, actions and deeds, but also by experienced emotions and feelings aimed at others. It is worth noting the individual differences of each person, the difference in worldview , views on life in general, or on certain phenomena, various manifested personality traits, the orientation of emotions and feelings. Yes, people who are characterized by adherence to principles are characterized by stable feelings , based on his views and features of the worldview. For a person who is contradictory, does not have constant convictions, is tormented by internal contradictions of feeling and emotions can be characterized by emotional dispersion . For him, the emergence of feelings is accidental, the inconstancy of the inner world, his beliefs and principles is manifested.
It is necessary to note the dependence of moral stamina and will and attitude to difficulties and failures
That is, in the event of the same situation related to life difficulties one person can show such feelings as self-doubt , dissatisfaction, despair, passivity, and for another, it will give a certain impetus , a charge of vivacity, a desire to succeed at all costs and overcome all obstacles. One can single out various individual differences in the depth of sensory perception . The emergence of deep feelings has a close connection with the structure of the personality, that is, it depends on all aspects of the inner life: thoughts, desires, aspirations. It can be concluded that a person will especially strongly experience feelings related to the interests and goals of life. It is difficult to say which feelings are the most valuable for the human personality. Their development and manifestation is individual, but all kinds of feelings are very significant for human development. Feelings fill a person, give meaning to activities and help to adapt and survive. Only by analyzing your own feelings, listening to yourself, it is possible to find your way and satisfy significant needs.
Forms of experiencing feelings. Kinds of feelings.

Concept and stages of formation

Feelings are often confused with emotions. These phenomena of the human psyche are interrelated, but not interchangeable. Feelings are a special form of a person's attitude to the world around him, which arises as a response to compliance or non-compliance with actual needs. They differ in stability, strength of manifestation. With their help, the individual expresses his attitude to people, phenomena, objects, denotes beliefs, character traits.
A sensory reaction occurs in response to an event occurring in the life of an individual. The correct formation of reactions is necessary for the development of a harmonious healthy personality. It is an individual process that begins in early childhood. The formation is influenced by the family environment, local culture. In Spain it is customary to express feelings violently, and in Japan it is a sign of bad upbringing.

Feelings are usually divided into lower and higher. The lower physiological manifestations are: hunger, fatigue. The highest include manifestations associated with the spiritual world: admiration, empathy, emotional attachment. The presence of higher senses distinguishes man from animals.

Sense experiences have an object attachment. An individual cannot test them for a situation or a phenomenon, only for a specific actor, object. Feelings may not have external manifestations: living them inside, outwardly the individual remains calm. Often they are non-verbal - unspoken.

Momentary manifestations occur when the interaction with the object was brief. To form a stable relationship, you need a long contact. This is how falling in love develops: if a person is deprived of the opportunity to see the object of adoration, falling in love quickly passes. If every day he can look at least at a portrait, then love will only be nourished and strengthened.

What higher feelings can a person have?

What higher feelings can a person have and how are they expressed? The classification divides the higher feelings into moral, intellectual, aesthetic and praxical.
Learn more

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