What are the 5 basic feelings?
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[Article revised on 27 April 2020.] Show
The concept of "basic" or "primary" emotions dates back at least to the Book of Rites, a first-century Chinese encyclopedia that identifies seven "feelings of men": joy, anger, sadness, fear, love, disliking, and liking. In the 20th century, Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise) and Robert Plutchik eight, which he grouped into four pairs of polar opposites (joy-sadness, anger-fear, trust-distrust, surprise-anticipation). It is said that basic emotions evolved in response to the ecological challenges faced by our remote ancestors and are so primitive as to be "hardwired," with each basic emotion corresponding to a distinct and dedicated neurological circuit. Being hardwired, basic emotions (or "affect programs") are innate and universal, automatic and fast, and trigger behaviour with a high survival value. So much can hardly be said of more complex emotions such as humility or nostalgia, which, for example, are never attributed to infants and animals. The other day, I opened a cutlery drawer on a large lizard, which, of course, I had not been expecting to find. As the critter darted off into the blackness behind the drawer, I unthinkingly jumped back and slammed the drawer shut. Having done this, I suddenly discovered myself to be feeling hot and alert and primed for further action. This basic fear response is so primitive that even the lizard seemed to share in it and so automatic as to be "cognitively impenetrable," that is, unconscious and uncontrollable, and more akin to a reaction than a deliberate action. One hypothesis is that basic emotions can function as building blocks, with more complex emotions being blends of basic ones. For instance, contempt could amount to a blend of anger and disgust. However, many complex emotions cannot be deconstructed into more basic ones, and the theory does not adequately explain why infants and animals do not share in complex emotions. Instead, it could be that complex emotions are an amalgam of basic emotions and cognitions, with certain combinations being sufficiently common or important to be named in language. Thus, frustration could amount to anger combined with the belief that "nothing can be done." Again, many complex emotions resist such analysis. Moreover, basic emotions can themselves result from quite complex cognitions; for instance, Tim’s panic upon realizing—or even just believing—that he has slept through an important exam. Although basic emotions have been compared to programs, it does seem that their potential objects are open to cultural conditioning. If poor Tim fears having missed his exam, this is in large part because of the value that his culture and micro-culture attach to academic success. With more complex emotions, it is the emotion itself (rather than its potential object) that is culturally shaped and constructed. Schadenfreude is not common to all peoples in all times. Neither is romantic love, which seems to have emerged in tandem with the novel. In Madame Bovary, itself a novel, Gustave Flaubert tells us that Emma Bovary only found out about romantic love through "the refuse of old lending libraries." These books, he continues,
“Emotions are a process, a particular kind of automatic appraisal influenced by our evolutionary and personal past, in which we sense that something important to our welfare is occurring, and a set of psychological changes and emotional behaviors begins to deal with the situation." - Paul Ekman, PhD In other words, emotions prepare us to deal with important events without having to think about them. These emotional responses are an unbidden occurrence, meaning that we don’t choose to feel them, they just happen to us automatically. Of all the human emotions we experience, there are seven universal emotions that we all feel, transcending language, regional, cultural, and ethnic differences Each of the universal emotions has distinctive signals, physiologies and timelines. While they vary in their onset duration and decline, emotions typically don’t last longer than an hour. If an emotion persists for an extended amount of time without interruption, it’s more likely that the emotion can be categorized as a mood or a disorder. How many emotions are there?While there are differing views among experts, most emotion scientists agree that there are at least five core emotions. Dr. Ekman’s research shows the strongest evidence to date of seven universal facial expressions of emotions. Which emotions are universal?Even though the images below depict the seven universal emotions separately, no emotion exists as a single affective or psychological state. Instead, emotions are comprised of a family of related emotional states which are variations on a shared theme. What makes us emotional?Emotions occur in response to some kind of stimulus (actual, imagined, or re-lived) such as:
What actually makes us emotional, however, varies person to person based on our shared evolution, cultural influences, and unique personal experiences. So, even though we can't choose the emotions we feel, we can choose the ways in which we respond through emotional awareness. What is emotional awareness?In order to have more choice about our emotional reactions, we must first build awareness of the emotional behaviors, experiences and triggers that we, and others, face. This process allows us to find insight in awareness to help shape our emotional reactions in more thoughtful and constructive ways. How do we practice emotional awareness?As we’ve learned, we do not choose the emotions we experience. However, our emotional responses shape our experience of the world. In order to choose our responses wisely, we must first become more aware of and familiar with our own emotional experiences. Dr. Ekman, one of the world’s leading experts in the field of emotions has devoted his life to researching emotions and developing tools to help us better understand the emotional lives of ourselves and others. Additional ResourcesLearn to recognize and respond to the emotional expressions of others with our online micro expressions training tools to increase your ability to detect deception and catch subtle emotional cues. Build your emotional vocabulary with the Atlas of Emotions, a free, interactive learning tool created by Drs. Paul and Eve Ekman at the request of the Dalai Lama. Additional ResourcesLearn to recognize and respond to the emotional expressions of others with our online micro expressions training tools to increase your ability to detect deception and catch subtle emotional cues.  Expand your knowledge of emotional skills and competencies with in-person workshops offered through Paul Ekman International. Delve into personal exploration and transformation with Cultivating Emotional Balance. Build your emotional vocabulary with the Atlas of Emotions, a free, interactive learning tool created by Drs. Paul and Eve Ekman at the request of the Dalai Lama. Read Dr. Ekman’s guide to emotions in his best-seller, Emotions Revealed. Introduce the world of emotions to children in a fun way with Dr. Ekman's official guide to Disney•Pixar's Inside Out. Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat are the six basic emotions according to Paul Ekman?Dr. Ekman identified the six basic emotions as anger, surprise, disgust, enjoyment, fear, and sadness. His research shows the strongest evidence to date of a seventh emotion, which is contempt. What are the 7 basic feelings?Dr. Ekman identified the six basic emotions as anger, surprise, disgust, enjoyment, fear, and sadness. His research shows the strongest evidence to date of a seventh emotion, which is contempt.
What are the core feelings?The core emotions are sadness, fear, anger, joy, excitement, sexual excitement, and disgust. Evolutionarily, we've developed these emotions so that we can react to our environments faster than our thinking brains can comprehend. A core emotion is set off in the limbic system, in the middle of the brain.
What are the 4 main feelings?This leaves us with four "basic" emotions, according to this study: happy, sad, afraid/surprised, and angry/disgusted.
What are the 8 basic feelings?Primary: The eight sectors are designed to indicate that there are eight primary emotions: anger, anticipation, joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness and disgust. Opposites: Each primary emotion has a polar opposite.
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