Without emotions we are merely robots. Disconnected, fearful, and unable to experience life and all that it has to offer. What is the range of emotions that human beings are able to experience? Can you guess? You'll probably guess wrong if you didn't already know the answer. I know I did. It's around 34,000. With so many emotions, how is it possible to even begin to navigate through them all? And that's exactly what we will discuss in this article. 

American Psychologist Dr. Robert Plutchik developed the wheel of emotions which focuses on eight primary emotions that serve as the foundation for all others: acceptance, disgust, fear, joy, anger, sadness, anticipation, and surprise. Identifying the primary emotions can help in situations when the mind cannot remain objective and we enter "fight or flight" mode. Comprehension of primary emotions also helps us identify our feelings and act accordingly. 

In this blog post I am going to cover emotions and why they are important; we will also discuss in detail what Plutchik's emotion wheel is and how to utilize it in your life. And finally, I will explain why it's important to feel your emotions and accept that we are emotional beings and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. 

What are Emotions

Researchers of emotions see emotions as episodes influenced by stimuli.

 To be more specific - 

"emotion is defined as an episode of interrelated, synchronized changes in the state of all or most of the five organismic subsystems in response to the evaluation of an external or internal stimulus event as relevant to major concerns of the organism" (Emotion Researcher, 2015).

Emotions are subjective states of being that we often describe as our feelings. Emotions usually represent a subject that is in an affective state and that occurred in response to something that they have experienced. Emotions are also thought of as consciously experienced and intentional.

Our emotional states are a combination of psychological arousal, subjective experiences, and psychological appraisals. Together, these factors are the components of emotions. The three different components are informed by our cultures, backgrounds, and our diverse experiences. That's why different people might have different emotional experiences, even when faced with similar or the same situations. If you're interested in learning about different emotions theories then please feel free to check James-Lange theory of emotions, the Cannon-Bard theory, and The Schachter-Singer two-factor theory of emotion. 

One interesting thing to note is that it has been discovered that suppressing your facial expressions of emotions actually lowered the intensity of that emotion. Which makes sense as our body is also driven by hormones which when released make us feel a certain way. So for instance, smiling even when you don't feel like smiling can actually make you happier as your facial expression sends signals to your body and your body thinks you're happy and releases endorphins, which make you feel happier. 

The Emotional Wheel and How to Use It?

Plutchik groups the eight primary emotions into polar opposites such as:

1. Surprise and anticipation

2. Joy and sadness

3. Fear and anger

4. Acceptance and disgust

The wheel consists of three main characteristics which are - 

Colors: The eight emotions that I mentioned above are arranged by colors that create a set of similar emotions. Primary emotions are found in the second circle. Two primary emotions combined are shown with softer colors. 

Layers: As you move into the center of the circle the emotions and the colors on the wheel intensify. For example, at the center of the wheel, the primary emotions change from: anger to rage; anticipation to vigilance; joy to ecstasy; trust to admiration; fear to terror; surprise to amazement; sadness to grief; disgust to loathing. As the colors become less saturated and you move away from the center of the circle, the intensity of the emotions lower too. 

Relations: Across from one another are the polar opposite emotions. When primary emotions mix this is demonstrated by the spaces between the emotions. Different emotions emerge then, such as - love, optimism, submission, remorse, aggressiveness, contempt, awe, disapproval, and submission.  

The wheel is extremely useful as it allows you to visualize your emotions and provides you with a visual combination of emotions that created these outcomes for you. The wheel is a great tool to simplify complex concepts. 

You can use the wheel as a two dimensional circle or a three dimensional eclipse. By using the two dimensional circle you can dive into the emotional wheel. You will then discover which primary emotions you’re feeling and see how emotions combine to create secondary emotions such as awe or love. 

According to Plutchik, emotions are activated due to specific stimuli, which then set off certain behavior patterns. On a subconscious level, when our emotions are activated they trigger certain survival behaviors. 

Here is a list of survival behaviors that Plutchik referenced - 

• Orientation - activated by surprise and is a reaction to a contact with an unfamiliar object

• Exploration - activated by curiosity and play and is exploring the environment around us

• Reintegration - reaction to a loss of nutrient product and is activated by sadness and grief

• Reproduction - activated by joy and pleasure and is a genetic exchange, approach, and contract

• Protection - withdrawal and retreat which is activated by fear and terror

• Incorporation - ingesting nourishment and is activated by acceptance

• Rejection - elimination response to dangerous material and is activated by disgust

• Destruction - elimination of barrier to the satisfaction of needs and is activated by rage and anger

And here is a visual to help you understand this a little bit better - 

Why Are Emotions Important and How Do They Help Us?

Once we identify our emotions and objectify them, we can emphasize them with ourselves, and move on to redirecting our focus on the emotions that best serve us. 

Emotions are there to guide us and take us in a direction that will best suit our life and wellbeing. Suppressing your emotions will not work and can actually result in a lot of issues in the long run. Suppressing emotions can create psychological issues and an overly hostile and explosive situation in the future. It pays to listen to your emotions, acknowledge them for what they are, even if they are unpleasant, and take deliberate action to change course. Ignoring our emotions can make us physically and mentally sick in the long run. It can also strain relationships and eventually negatively impact our entire being. 

Let me give you an example, suppose you have work that you don't particularly feel good about. Yet, day in and day out you ignore your negative feelings about your boss, some co-workers that are bullies, or anything else that is making you feel negative about your job. Maybe you aren't challenged or perhaps you're simply underpaid. Eventually you will begin to feel like a failure and like you are stuck and it's your own fault. Negative thoughts about the situation will form and your self-esteem will take a hit. You might start getting depressed too. To become stable again, your negative emotions need an outlet. That means you need to be honest with yourself about how you are feeling about your situation and then work on creating a solution that will change the way that you feel. So that means leaving work, talking with your boss or your co-workers, asking for a raise, or whatever will solve the issue that you’re feeling negative about. 

Negative emotions are meant to be acknowledged and often acted upon, instead of being suppressed. And that's not easy. Most people suppress their negative emotions by using drugs and alcohol, sex, and even excessive traveling in some instances, which is another form of running away from self. 

Emotions are imperative and can guide you. They are an extremely important aspect of humanity and should always be acknowledged and respected. And it doesn't matter whether you are male or female. Guys, don't let society dictate to you that you have to suppress your humanity. That's false and is making you sick. Learning to find healthy outlets for your emotions is the key. Identifying your emotions is also important. And then, communicating or taking deliberate action to change the situation is also a necessary step toward fulfillment. 

Conclusion

Humans have a vast range of emotions that make it tricky to navigate through. Luckily, there are a lot of great tools like the emotional wheel that can help us understand our emotions better and in turn, deal with our problems in a healthier way. Emotions are there to help and guide you through life, so paying attention is important. Learn to identify your emotions, acknowledge and accept them for what they are, and work on a way out of a negative or difficult situation. 

Source

The Emotion Wheel: What It Is and How to Use It (positivepsychology.com)

Emotion | Introduction to Psychology (lumenlearning.com)

Emotional suppression: Causes and consequences - PsychMechanics