We all experience different emotions and feelings. The human affective sphere is extremely varied. However, we are not always able to name what we feel. We all experience emotions, but not all of us are able to recognize and manage them.

In fact, there are people who have very limited emotional self-knowledge because, although they experience a wide range of emotions, they are not able to accurately recognize them. Obviously, not knowing what emotions or feelings we are experiencing is an impediment to managing them in the most appropriate way.

Instead, knowing all the emotions and feelings will allow us to sharpen our emotional awareness. If you only know one or two musical notes, they will be the only ones you will hear as you will pay more attention to them. If you know them all, your musical universe will expand. The same happens at the level of feelings and emotions.

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

Other research developed at the University of Kansas went a step further by delving into the impact of emotional self-regulation on a 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 is at the root of this disease and is considered a poor prognosis.

Neither feelings are so emotional nor thinking is so rational

We tend to think that emotions and thought are antagonistic processes that exclude or annoy each other. However, the truth is that in each emotion there is a pinch of reason and in each thought there is a dose of feeling.

Although we act guided by the emotions that we are experiencing at that moment, in reality we are also reacting to a complex mental process that has occurred in the background: the cognitive interpretation that we have made of the event.

The truth is that we do not react to reality, but rather to the meaning we give to that reality, and in that case it influences everything from our expectations and needs to our thoughts. Therefore, emotions are not simply reactions to the environment but also to the assessment we make of what is happening to us.

For example, if a person throws a glass of water on us, the most consistent emotional reaction would be surprise since it is an unexpected event. However, when we start to think about that person’s intentions and our rational mind kicks in, we may react angrily, thinking that he did it on purpose. Thus, anger is not an emotional reaction to what happened but to our interpretation of what has happened.

What is the difference between emotions and feelings?

Knowing the difference between emotions and feelings is not a mere epistemological or linguistic exercise, it will help us to better understand our reactions and behaviors, allowing us to regulate our affective 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 transitory 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 sentiment.
2. Order of appearance. Feelings are the result of emotions, so they usually precede them. Joy, for example, can be transformed into happiness and attraction into love.
3. Intensity. Emotions are usually more intense than feelings since their main objective is to predispose us to action. The complex evaluation processes that usually intervene in feelings detract a bit from its intensity.
4. Processing level. Emotions occur unconsciously, generating an almost immediate response, while feelings, demanding more time for their formation, are processed consciously.
5. Degree of regulation. Emotions are affective states that are difficult to control since they generate automatic psychophysiological reactions. We cannot completely contain emotions such as fear or joy, for example, since as soon as we experience them, they will manifest through micro-expressions. Feelings, on the contrary, can be better managed over time, seeking strategies to express them more assertively.

However, emotions and feelings are often difficult to separate in practice since where there is a feeling there are usually different emotions and vice versa.

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

The 3 functions of emotions and feelings

Despite the fact that Western culture has been prioritizing reason for centuries and relegating emotions to the background and even turning them into our enemies, the truth is that they are very useful. Even the most unpleasant emotions play an important role in social and personal adjustment.

1. Adaptive function

Primary emotions are particularly important thanks to their hedonic quality. Fear, for example, favors 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 could be enough to calm a strong reaction from an attacker.

Surprise, on the other hand, encourages us to pay more attention to what is happening in our environment. Therefore, emotions and feelings are a kind of internal compass that allows us to quickly orient ourselves in our environment, generating the most appropriate response.

2. Social function

Feelings and emotions are powerful social helpers. Their expression allows us to predict how other people might behave to adjust our behavior to theirs, which helps us better adapt to social environments.

Emotions allow us to carry out an informative exchange with our interlocutors through small facial gestures, tone of voice or body movements. In fact, we are all capable of capturing emotional micro-expressions and processing them at an unconscious level to understand the emotional states of others and guess their intentions.

This capacity is what allows us to understand that a person is upset and that perhaps it is not the best time to make a criticism or the one that encourages us to approach someone sad to comfort them.

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

3. Motivational function

Another of the most important functions of emotions and feelings refers to their power to energize our behavior. Emotions have a deep 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 behaviors. Emotions can generate motivated behavior, direct it towards a certain 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 is worth clarifying that this motivational function does not depend only on the type of emotion but also on the dimension of like or dislike that it generates and the intensity of the emotional reaction. If we are only angry, for example, we could control ourselves, but if we feel angry it will be more difficult not to give vent to that anger.

How many emotions are there?

In Psychology there is a certain general consensus in talking about 6 types of basic emotions: fear, anger, disgust, sadness, surprise and joy. However, more recent research has shown that the human face is capable of creating more than 7,000 different expressions that reflect a great emotional variety.

Therefore, basic emotions are simply the foundation on which we build more complex and subtle feelings and emotions that color our experiences.

List of basic and complex emotions and feelings

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

In this list of emotions and feelings, reference is made to positive, negative and variable emotions, but in reality all emotions and feelings can become negative or positive depending on the way we experience and express them. In addition, they are not even all the emotions that exist since there are also other emotional states that we have experienced but that in our language do not have a literal translation, such as pronoia and awumbuk.

Sources:

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.