CogKnoSys

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Mental

Emotions and Feelings

Emotions are states of body and mind such as joy, anger, fear and sadness; feelings are how we consciously experience them.

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The idea

Emotions are states of body and mind that arise from changes in the brain and nervous system. They come with thoughts, actions, and some degree of pleasure or displeasure. A feeling is closely related but not quite the same thing: the word often means the conscious, personal experience of an emotion. Scientists still have no agreed definition of emotion.

Many researchers now describe an emotion as several parts working together. These include the inner experience, the thinking that goes with it, the way it shows on the face and body, changes inside the body, and the actions it prompts. Emotions are also tied to mood, temperament and personality. Feelings shape how a person sees the world, and they can sometimes create bias, for example through wishful thinking.

Learning to name and manage feelings is a skill that can be practiced. In psychotherapy, a therapist helps a person understand, put into words and regulate their own feelings. Common emotions include joy, anger, fear and sadness.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 2

Theorizing about the evolutionary origin of emotion dates back to which thinker?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Subjective experience — The personal, inner sense of what an emotion is like, often called a feeling.
  • Body changes — Shifts in heartbeat, breathing and other body activity that go with an emotion.
  • Appraisal — How a person reads a situation, which shapes the emotion they feel.
  • Expression — Facial expressions, voice and body language that show an emotion to others.
  • Pleasure or displeasure — Whether an emotion feels good or bad, and how strongly.

Connection

how it relates

Under Mental

Related

  1. Autonomic Nervous Systemstrength 70 of 100

    The autonomic nervous system produces many of the body changes, such as a faster heartbeat, that come with strong emotions.

  2. Mindfulnessstrength 60 of 100

    Mindfulness practice teaches people to notice their feelings without being carried away by them.

Felt

  1. Creative Expressionstrength 40 of 100

    Emotions often feed creative work, and art, music and writing are common ways to express them.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
Theorizing about the evolutionary origin of emotions, and what they might be for, dates back to Charles Darwin. Later, scholars tried to tie emotion to a single part, such as William James, who linked it to inner experience.
Now
Many fields now study emotion, including psychology, medicine, history, computer science and philosophy. Brain scientists use scans such as functional MRI to study how the brain handles emotion.
Next
Much current research studies how emotions rise, fall and affect each other in daily life. That work may lead to better ways to support mental health.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Emotions and Feelings

Emotions are states of body and mind such as joy, anger, fear and sadness; feelings are how we consciously experience them.

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Emotions are states of body and mind that arise from changes in the brain and nervous system. They come with thoughts, actions, and some degree of pleasure or displeasure. A feeling is closely related but not quite the same thing: the word often means the conscious, personal experience of an emotion. Scientists still have no agreed definition of emotion.

Many researchers now describe an emotion as several parts working together. These include the inner experience, the thinking that goes with it, the way it shows on the face and body, changes inside the body, and the actions it prompts. Emotions are also tied to mood, temperament and personality. Feelings shape how a person sees the world, and they can sometimes create bias, for example through wishful thinking.

Learning to name and manage feelings is a skill that can be practiced. In psychotherapy, a therapist helps a person understand, put into words and regulate their own feelings. Common emotions include joy, anger, fear and sadness.

Check yourself

2 quick questions, instant feedback.