Emotions

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 breathing, and sensations, such as tightness in the chest. They 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:

  1. 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).
  2. 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.

What Is 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 this can give us motivation, either to continue to act in the same way in order to feel the pleasant emotions thus continuing to satisfy our need, or to act in some way to try to change the situation so that we somehow satisfy a lack and thereby no longer feel our painful emotions.

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