Emotions play a critical role in how we live our lives, from influencing how we engage with others in our day to day lives to affecting the decisions we make. By understanding some of the different types of emotions, you can gain a deeper understanding of how these emotions are expressed and the impact they have on your behavior. Of course, not everyone experiences fear in the same way. Some people may be more sensitive to fear and certain situations or objects may be more likely to trigger this emotion. American psychologist R.S. Woodsworth viewed feelings and emotions as representing a person’s inner state, also known as their mood. Then, there’s also Immanuel Kant’s definition of feelings as states of unpleasantness and pleasantness, also known as psychological effects.

And you don’t have to get caught up in writing long journal entries or diving into in-depth conversations about your feelings. Just even assigning a single word like “hurt” or “scared” can help reduce the intensity of your emotions.Research shows that being supportive of other’s feelings can help regulate their emotions better, improve how you cope with feelings and reduce conflict. We can simply say, ‘I’m sorry you feel that way or I’m having a hard time understanding how you feel or I’m having a hard time understanding why you feel that way, can we talk more about it?’

What are feelings without emotions? Both are often used interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing.

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We mentioned this briefly above, but it’s worth repeating. Don’t judge yourself or others — all of your feelings are valid. Ekman, Paul 2003. Emotions revealed: understanding faces and feelings. New York: Holt. (Edition consulted was ISBN 978-0-7538-1765-0)

For example, you might experience “happiness” through feelings of bliss, exhilaration, or optimism. These are expressions of that particular core emotion, going beyond saying, “ I’m happy.”

Feelings are a reaction to how your body is feeling.

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Anger can be a particularly powerful emotion characterized by feelings of hostility, agitation, frustration, and antagonism towards others. Like fear, anger can play a part in your body's fight or flight response. While happiness is considered one of the basic human emotions, the things we think will create happiness tend to be heavily influenced by culture. For example, pop culture influences tend to emphasize that attaining certain things such as buying a home or having a high-paying job will result in happiness. Love, a strong emotion of attachment one feels for someone else. Ranges to family, pets, friends, significant others or fictional characters We hear a 'ding' sound and the narrators starts to explain emotions. We see animations that match the descriptions the narrator tells us, like someone under a rain cloud feeling lonely and a big dog barking.