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Home » List of 290 emotions and feelings: How to differentiate them

List of 290 emotions and feelings: How to differentiate them

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emotions and feelings

We all experience different emotions and feelings. The human emotional sphere is extremely diverse. However, we are not always able to put a name to what we feel. In fact, some people have very limited emotional self-awareness because, although they experience a wide range of emotions, they are unable to accurately recognize them.

Obviously, not knowing what emotions or feelings we’re experiencing is an impediment to managing them properly . If you only know one or two musical notes, they’ll be the only ones you’ll hear because you won’t pay attention to the rest. If you know them all, your musical universe will expand. The same thing happens in the realm of feelings and emotions: knowing them all will allow you to fine-tune your emotional awareness.

A study conducted at George Mason University, for example, found that people who are able to detect and understand their emotions are less likely to turn to drugs, alcohol, or food as escape routes.

Another study conducted at the University of Kansas went a step further by delving into the impact of emotional self-regulation on the physical level. These researchers found that people with cancer who were able to detect, label, and understand their emotions had lower levels of inflammation, a process that underlies this disease and is considered a poor prognosis.

Neither feelings are so emotional nor thinking is so rational

We often think of emotions and thought as mutually exclusive, antagonistic processes, or even mutually exclusive. However, the truth is that in every emotion there is a grain of reason, and in every thought there is a dose of feeling.

Even if you’re acting on the emotions you’re experiencing at the moment, you’re actually also reacting to a complex mental process that’s been going on in the background: your cognitive interpretation of the event.

The truth is that we don’t react to reality, but rather to the meaning we give it, so our expectations, needs, and even our thoughts also influence it. Therefore, emotions are not merely reactions to a situation, but also an assessment of what is happening to us.

For example, if someone spills a glass of water on you, the most congruent emotional reaction is surprise, since it’s unexpected. However, when you start to think about that person’s intentions and your rational mind kicks in, you’re likely to get angry if you think they did it on purpose. Therefore, anger isn’t an emotional reaction to what happened, but rather a reflection of how it happened.

What is the difference between emotions and feelings?

Knowing the difference between emotions and feelings is not merely an epistemological or linguistic exercise; it will help us better understand our reactions and behaviors, allowing us to regulate our emotional responses to achieve greater well-being.

What are emotions?


They are reactions of affective valence to certain stimuli, which can be external, something we see or experience, or internal, such as a thought or a memory. Emotions unleash a set of hormonal and neurochemical responses that produce a state of activation, propelling us to immediate action. They are usually relatively fleeting experiences that generate a high degree of pleasure or displeasure.

When they give us terrible news, such as the death of a pet or a loved one, for example, it is an emotion that is activated. In these types of situations our reaction is almost automatic and difficult to control, so that we will feel very sad and it is even probable that we will cry.

What are feelings?


Feelings elicit the same physiological and psychological responses as emotions, but they have a conscious evaluation built into them. In other words, they imply awareness and appreciation of the emotion that can be found at its base and the affective experience that we are living. In addition, they tend to be more stable over time.

As the days go by, emotions fade to give way to feelings as a cognitive interpretation of that state occurs. In the case of bad news, for example, the feelings that sadness leaves behind are usually: grief, melancholy, emptiness, restlessness, discouragement or even anger.

Therefore, the main differences between emotions and feelings are:

  1. Duration.  Emotions are transient states that come and go relatively quickly. Feelings, on the other hand, are more stable affective states over time. Joy, for example, is an emotion, while love is a feeling.
  2. Order of appearance.  Feelings are the result of emotions, so the latter usually precede them. Joy, for example, can transform into happiness, and attraction into love.
  3. Intensity.  Emotions tend to be more intense than feelings because their main purpose is to predispose us to action. The complex evaluation processes that often intervene in feelings somewhat diminish their intensity.
  4. Processing level.  Emotions occur unconsciously, generating an almost immediate response, while feelings, taking longer to develop, are processed consciously.
  5. Degree of regulation.  Emotions are affective states that are difficult to control because they generate automatic psychophysiological reactions. We cannot completely contain emotions like fear or joy, for example, since as soon as we experience them, they manifest themselves through microexpressions. Feelings, on the other hand, can be better managed over time by seeking strategies to express them more assertively.
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However, emotions and feelings are often difficult to separate in practice, since where there is one feeling there are usually different emotions and vice versa.

Understanding the differences between emotions and feelings helps us, however, avoid feeling guilty about our initial emotional reactions. It also teaches us not to cling to them, so that unpleasant ones can disappear as naturally as they appeared.

How many emotions are there?

In psychology, there is a general consensus that there are six basic types of emotions: fear, anger, disgust, sadness, surprise, and joy. However, recent research has shown that the human face is capable of creating more than 7,000 different expressions that reflect a wide range of emotions.

List of basic and complex emotions and feelings

Basic emotions are simply the foundation upon which we build more complex and subtle feelings and emotions that color our experiences.

*

Positive emotions and feelings

  1. Joy
  2. Love
  3. Affection
  4. Compassion
  5. Generosity
  6. Enjoyment
  7. Jubilation
  8. Hope
  9. Admiration
  10. Freedom
  11. Succes
  12. Justice
  13. Gratitude
  14. Acceptance
  15. Accompaniment
  16. Kindness
  17. Appreciation
  18. Benevolence
  19. Pride
  20. Loveliness
  21. Relief
  22. Empathy
  23. Integrity
  24. Humility
  25. Attachment
  26. Approval
  27. Concentration
  28. Sufficiency
  29. Harmony
  30. Honesty
  31. Temperance
  32. Tolerance
  33. Motivation
  34. Happiness
  35. Firmness
  36. Fortress
  37. Autonomy
  38. Honorability
  39. Solidarity
  40. Optimism
  41. Satisfaction
  42. Security
  43. Comprehension
  44. Sympathy
  45. Affection
  46. ​​Passion
  47. Esteem
  48. Enthusiasm
  49. Respect
  50. Peace
  51. Pleasure
  52. Commitment
  53. Fervor
  54. Charm
  55. Competition
  56. Fullness
  57. Omnipotence
  58. Euphoria
  59. Ecstasy
  60. Illusion
  61. Support
  62. Contentment
  63. Interest
  64. Trust
  65. Delight
  66. Care
  67. Dignity
  68. Energy
  69. Vitality
  70. Complacency

Negative emotions and feelings

  1. Sadness
  2. Melancholy
  3. Abandonment
  4. Boredom
  5. Abuse
  6. Need
  7. Absence
  8. Demotivation
  9. Scare
  10. Bitterness
  11. Anguish
  12. Aggressivity
  13. Strain
  14. Hesitation
  15. Anxiety
  16. Disgust
  17. Revenge
  18. Courage
  19. Annoyance
  20. Shame
  21. Emptyness
  22. Boredom
  23. Hostility
  24. Humiliation
  25. Contempt
  26. Meannees
  27. Concern
  28. Stubbornness
  29. Terror
  30. Betrayal
  31. Bothering
  32. Overwhelmed
  33. Pity
  34. Manipulation
  35. Fear
  36. Phobia
  37. Failure
  38. Fragility
  39. Frustration
  40. Fury
  41. Loneliness
  42. Unperturbed
  43. Paralysis
  44. Grudge
  45. Rage
  46. ​​Suspicion
  47. Shame
  48. Defenselessness
  49. Misery
  50. Dread
  51. Preoccupation
  52. Arrogance
  53. Pessimism
  54. Incongruence
  55. Sorrow
  56. Laziness
  57. Regret
  58. Hate
  59. Rage
  60. Deception
  61. Stress
  62. Bewilderment
  63. Prosecution
  64. Vexation
  65. Envy
  66. Offended
  67. Fright
  68. Sadness
  69. Stupor
  70. Impatience
  71. Distrust
  72. Impotence
  73. Confusion
  74. Disability
  75. Incompatibility
  76. Misunderstanding
  77. Misadventure
  78. Outrage
  79. Instability
  80. Unhappiness
  81. Inferiority
  82. Injustice
  83. Destruction
  84. Heartbreak
  85. Dissatisfaction
  86. Insecurity
  87. Insufficiency
  88. Intolerance
  89. Fury
  90. Irritation
  91. Jealousy
  92. Guilt
  93. Censorship
  94. Wrath
  95. Opposition
  96. Dependency
  97. Depression
  98. Defeat
  99. Despondency
  100. Helplessness
  101. Discouragement
  102. Restlessness
  103. Disregard
  104. Dejection
  105. Disconsolation
  106. Misery
  107. Resentment
  108. Disenchantment
  109. Despair
  110. Reluctance
  111. Disappointment
  112. Desolation
  113. Petrification
  114. Disorientation
  115. Contempt
  116. Famine
  117. Smear
  118. Powwerlessness
  119. Devaluation
  120. Pain
  121. Dislike
  122. Pity
  123. Laziness
  124. Dysphoria
  125. Exasperation
  126. Regret
  127. Affront
  128. Blurry vision
  129. Affliction
  130. Disappointment

Ambivalent emotions and feelings

  1. Nostalgia
  2. Longing
  3. Lust
  4. Unity
  5. Attraction
  6. Alarm
  7. Astonishment
  8. Courage
  9. Alteration
  10. Pride
  11. Vulnerability
  12. Valuation
  13. Temptation
  14. Patience
  15. Surprise
  16. Ambivalence
  17. Tenderness
  18. Desire
  19. Shyness
  20. Tranquility
  21. Repentance
  22. Paranoia
  23. Disturbance
  24. Frenzy
  25. Confusion
  26. Serenity
  27. Submission
  28. Submission
  29. Soothe
  30. Rebellion
  31. Rejection
  32. Belonging
  33. Commitment
  34. Bliss
  35. Disgust
  36. Resentment
  37. Reserve
  38. Persecution
  39. Obligation
  40. Ostentation
  41. Excitation
  42. Domination
  43. Strangeness
  44. Nonconformity
  45. Disbelief
  46. ​​Resignation
  47. Indifference
  48. Dauntless
  49. Intrigue
  50. Invasion
  51. Impulsiveness
  52. Calm
  53. Consolation
  54. Restlessness
  55. Correspondence
  56. Curiosity
  57. Closeness
  58. Worry
  59. Hesitation
  60. Disdain
  61. Rejoicing
  62. Exaltation
  63. Condescension
  64. Equanimity
  65. Apathy
  66. Inspiration
  67. Seriousness
  68. Trance
  69. Obstinacy
  70. Gutter
  71. Perplexity

It’s worth clarifying that this list of emotions and feelings refers to positive, negative, and ambivalent emotions, but in reality, all emotions and feelings can be negative or positive depending on how we experience and express them . Furthermore, these aren’t even all the emotions that exist, as there are also other emotional states we’ve experienced but that don’t have a literal translation in our language, such as pronoia and awumbuk.

The 3 functions of emotions and feelings

Although Western culture has prioritized reason for centuries and relegated emotions to the background, even turning them into our enemies, the truth is that they are very useful. Even the most unpleasant emotions serve an important function in social adaptation and personal adjustment.

1. Adaptive function

Primary emotions are particularly important because of their hedonic quality. Fear, for example, encourages flight or defensive immobility in the face of danger, while disgust prevents us from eating something that could harm us. Even the expression of fear may be enough to calm an aggressor’s intense reaction.

Surprise, on the other hand, encourages us to pay more attention to what’s happening around us. Therefore, emotions and feelings are a kind of internal compass that allows us to quickly navigate our surroundings and generate the most appropriate response.

2. Social function

Feelings and emotions are powerful social aids. Their expression allows us to predict how others might behave and adjust our behavior to theirs, helping us better adapt to social environments.

Emotions allow us to communicate with our interlocutors through small facial expressions, tone of voice, or body movements. In fact, we are all capable of capturing emotional microexpressions and processing them unconsciously to understand others’ emotional states and predict their intentions.

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This ability is what allows us to understand that a person is upset and that perhaps it is not the best time to criticize, or what encourages us to approach someone who is sad to comfort them.

Therefore, emotional reactions not only reveal our emotional state, but are also clues that regulate how others react to us. Even repressing certain emotions can serve a social function, to avoid conflicts or problems in interpersonal relationships.

3. Motivational function

Another of the most important functions of emotions and feelings is their power to energize our behavior. Emotions have a profound relationship with motivation. In fact, emotions can push us to action.

Such is the case, for example, of anger, an emotion that generally triggers aggressive or defensive behavior. Emotions can generate motivated behavior, direct it toward a specific goal, and make us execute it with intensity. Passion is another feeling that can keep us focused on a person or project for a long time.

It’s worth clarifying that this motivational function depends not only on the type of emotion but also on the degree of pleasure or displeasure it generates and the intensity of the emotional reaction. If we’re simply angry, for example, we might be able to control ourselves, but if we’re feeling furious, it will be more difficult to restrain ourselves from giving free rein to that anger.

Emotional intensity

The bodily expression of emotions and feelings

Emotions and feelings are not merely mental states; they influence our behavior and physiological states. In fact, we often experience emotions directly in our bodies. It’s our bodies that give us the warning signal that something has changed and we need to pay attention.

When we meet someone we love, for example, our heart races or we feel butterflies in our stomach, but when a dog threatens to attack us, our muscles tense and our vision sharpens. On the other hand, the prospect of a job interview or public speaking can make us sweat or even tremble.

Expressing feelings and emotions through the body allows us to more effectively convey our mood, without the need for words. If a person walks with their head down and the corners of their mouth droop, we understand that they feel sad. On the other hand, if we notice that they are blushing and sweating, we realize that they are feeling nervous. Therefore, the body language of emotions and feelings has a powerful communicative function.

However, emotions and feelings are also essential for another reason: they prepare us to face environmental challenges. They allow us to adjust the activation of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neuroendocrine, and autonomic nervous systems to the demands of the environment. This ensures we are able to respond as quickly and adaptively as possible.

Emotions have the power to simultaneously activate some body systems and deactivate others to prevent them from competing for resources, resulting in more effective responses. For example, when we are afraid, the brain issues the order to temporarily shut down unnecessary digestive processes. This is why we often have a dry mouth, as saliva production is reduced. Instead, blood flows more quickly to the lower limbs to help us get to safety, while the lungs expand to allow us to breathe at maximum capacity in case we need to flee.

At the same time, certain emotions, especially those linked to danger, cause a change in brain function. Anxiety, fear, or distress can “disconnect” the frontal cortical areas of the brain that help us think and make rational decisions, prioritizing the more primitive processing system that produces faster responses.

This “emotional hijacking” allows us to react in the blink of an eye, without thinking too much, letting ourselves be guided by what we call “instinct.” Of course, it’s not a very precise system, but it’s effective in risky situations, so it can save our lives.

Along these lines, neuroscientists at Aalto University have even developed a body map based on the subjective sensations we typically experience linked to some of our basic feelings and emotions.

Emotions on the body

This also means that certain emotional states maintained over time can eventually cause physiological changes that trigger or worsen pathological processes. Psychosomatic illnesses, for example, are often linked to long periods of stress, emotional tension, anxiety, resentment, frustration, or even guilt.

Sources:

Nummenmaa, L. et. Al. (2013) Body maps of emotions. PNAS ; 111(2): 646-651.

Kashdan, T.B. et. Al. (2010) Emotion Differentiation as Resilience Against Excessive Alcohol Use An Ecological Momentary Assessment in Underage Social Drinkers.  Psychological Science ; 21(9): 1341-1347.

Stanton, Annette L. et. Al. (2000) Emotionally expressive coping predicts psychological and physical adjustment to breast cancer.  Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology ; 68(5): 875-882.

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Jennifer Delgado

Psychologist Jennifer Delgado

I am a psychologist and I spent several years writing articles for scientific journals specialized in Health and Psychology. I want to help you create great experiences. Learn more about me.

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