What are Emotions?
Emotions, or feelings, are complex psychological states that are associated with a subjective experience as well as physiological changes, such as increased heart rate or tightness in the chest. Emotions can be pleasant or unpleasant. A list of emotions can be found below.
What is the function of emotions?
Emotions are supposed to be a mechanism that serves two purposes:
- Signaling whether an external stimulus or event (actual or imagined) is good for us (if the emotion is pleasant) or not (if the emotion is painful).
- Physiological changes that prepare the body to respond appropriately to this stimulus, e.g. fear from a potential predator that causes more blood to be pumped to the muscles to fight-or-flight.
The connection between needs and emotions
Our emotions are supposed to signal whether our needs are satisfied or not. When our needs are met, we feel pleasant emotions, such as joy, pleasure, excitement, and calmness. When our needs are not met, we may feel unpleasant emotions, such as fear, anger, or sadness. In both cases, the emotional experience can give us motivation.
When our actions lead to some of our needs being satisfied, the “bonus” of experiencing pleasant emotions motivates us to continue to act in the same way so that we can continue to feel the pleasant emotions. This continued action thereby leads to the continuation of satisfaction of our needs.
Conversely, when our actions don’t satisfy our needs, or create a lack of need satisfaction, we feel unpleasant emotions, and this demotivates us to continue to act in the same way, because we don’t want to continue to feel the unpleasant emotions. The emotional pain can also motivate us to try to find some actions to solve the problem that led to the our needs not being met.
List of pleasant emotions
Contentment
content, pleased, delighted, satisfied, fulfilled, relieved
Gratitude
grateful, thankful, appreciative, touched, moved
Joy
joyous, glad, happy, jubilant, uplifted, cheerful, pleasure, lighthearted, amused, fun, enjoyment, playful, mischievous
Excitement
excited, energetic, animated, invigorated, bubbly, passionate, lively, enthusiastic, eager, ardent, aroused, horny, expectation
Ecstasy
exhilarated, ecstatic, elated, vibrant, exuberant, radiant, rapturous, thrilled
Refreshment
refreshed, enlivened, rejuvenated, renewed, invigorated, rested, restored, revived
Serenity
serene, calm, peaceful, bliss, tranquil, quiet, mellow, relaxed, patient, comfortable, safe, secure, equanimous
Interest
interested, intrigued, curious, fascinated, enthralled, absorbed, engrossed, entranced, involved, engaged, stimulated, enchanted, focused, centered, present, alert, flow
Inspiration
inspired, amazed, dazzled, awe, wonder, expanded
Confidence
confident, decisive, certain, open, powerful, empowered, encouraged, proud, victorious, optimistic, adventurous, hopeful
Affection
affectionate, compassionate, friendly, loving, caring, open hearted, sympathetic, tender, warm, gentleness, attracted, infatuated, connected, close, intimate, trusting
List of unpleasant emotions
Confusion
confused, baffled, bewildered, mystified, perplexed, puzzled, lost, stuck, ambivalent, torn, unfocused, distracted, scatterbrained, absent-minded
Indifference
disconnected, distant, indifferent, apathetic, numb, uninterested, bored
Alienation
alienated, aloof, cold, detached, withdrawn, guarded, reserved, closed
Shock
surprised, astonished, dazed, shocked, startled, alarmed
Upset
upset, unsettled, troubled, bothered, unnerved, disturbed, distraught, discomfort
Distress
distressed, turbulent, temperamental, turmoil, crazy, agitated, overwhelmed, flooded, paralized
Sadness
unhappy, sad, gloomy, heavy hearted, depressed, despondent, melancholy, sorrow, pity
Hopelessness
discouraged, defeated, pessimistic, hopeless, helpless, desperate, despair, wretched, dismay
Worry
hesitant, wary, apprehensive, concerned, worried, foreboding, suspicious, skeptic, mistrustful
Tension
uncomfortable, restless, tense, pressured, nervous, stressed, anxious, edgy, jittery, fidgety, unbalanced
Fear
afraid, frightened, scared, terrified, petrified, dread, panicked, hysteric, horror, terror
Discontent
displeased, disgruntled, indignant, frustrated, disappointed
Annoyance
annoyed, irritated, aggravated, irked, cranky, irritable, impatient
Anger
angry, furious, irate, enraged, outraged, rage, incensed
Aversion
dislike, aversion, recoiled, disgusted, repulsed, revulsion, appalled, horrified, contempt
Hate
hate, animosity, hostile, resentful, grudge, bitter
Embarrassment
embarrassed, flustered, ashamed
Guilt
guilty, regretful, remorseful, anguished
Fatigue
weak, tired, sleepy, exhausted, depleted, weary, worn out, burnt out, listless, lethargic, heavy, empty
Pain
devastated, heartbroken, hurt, agony, miserable, bereaved, grief
Vulnerability
vulnerable, fragile, insecure, sensitive, shaky
Yearning
envious, jealous, longing, yearning, nostalgic, lonely, forlorn