Positive, negative and neutral emotions and are they all necessary?

Hello to all readers! Lyudmila is in touch. What events bring you an endless stream of joy, optimism and happiness? Think about it for a second. Wow, the corners of your mouth are probably already tugging at a smile. For me, joy is going out into nature with my family, seeing friends and much more. And this joy charges us for a large chunk of time. Today we have a pleasant topic - we are talking about positive emotions. I will give a complete list of them, and also tell you what influence they have on us. I don’t want to talk about bad things... Not today... But if you really want to balance your knowledge, you can delve into the list of negative emotions that I wrote earlier.

Positive and negative emotions

You might think that positive psychology is only about positive emotions. But it's not just them. Negative and neutral emotions are an integral component that we must feel in order to live brightly and richly. Why are negative emotions needed in combination with positive ones, and why a neutral state is an integral attribute of everyday life, read on.

List of neutral emotions

• Curiosity is an unconscious desire for intellectual knowledge. It is inherent in absolutely all age categories, but is especially evident in the early period of child development.
• Surprise is an emotion that appears when an unexpected situation arises.
• Indifference is a passive attitude towards everything that happens.
• Contemplation is an emotion that arises in a subject when studying a subject.
• Surprise - in its manifestation it is similar to amazement, only in this case with a calmer expression.

Each person has a different list of emotions. The above list of emotions gives a general idea of ​​their diversity.

A look from psychology

People have been studying emotions for years. Given the difficulty of focusing on feelings, it is not surprising that we know little about them. Most people lack an understanding of the necessity of both emotions for healthy functioning and a full range of feelings. Let's start with definitions and find out the types of feelings and impressions when certain emotions arise, what is their source and how to create them yourself.

Definition and meaning of positive emotions

Positive emotions are emotions that we generally find pleasant to experience. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology defines them as “pleasant or desirable situational responses, distinct from pleasant feelings and undifferentiated positive affect.”

Essentially, this definition states that positive emotions are pleasant reactions to our environment (or our own internal dialogue) that are more complex and goal-directed than simple sensations.

Definition and meaning of negative emotions

On the other hand, negative emotions are those that we usually don't like. Negative emotions can be defined as “unpleasant or unhappy emotions that are evoked by people to express a negative impact on an event or person.”

If an emotion lowers your emotional state and worsens your mood, then most likely it is a negative emotion.

Learn more about conflicting feelings and cognitive dissonance.

List of Basic High Frequency Emotions

• Joy is a feeling of complete satisfaction of an urgent need. For example, when a person stood at a bus stop for 20 minutes and finally saw an approaching bus.
• Excitement is a powerful emotional state that stimulates strong interest and desire to continue.
• Delight is a sharp rise in joyful feelings. The excitement of meeting an old friend or realizing you won the lottery.
• Admiration is the highest form of satisfaction. A vivid emotion that encourages you to continuously observe the object that gives you this state of mind. For example, admiration for a talented person who can do special things (play the violin, walk on hot coals) that are inaccessible to most.
• Pleasure is deep, lasting satisfaction. Pleasure is felt when, after much effort, one gets what one wants.
• Jubilation is a complex state of joy and delight. Rejoicing has a longer and more isolated character than joy. For example, you can be happy for a friend’s success, but rejoice when you get the desired position and beat out hundreds of other applicants.
• Sympathy is an approving attitude. Liking mainly arises on the basis of common interests or values. It may arise in relation to a new acquaintance who, for example, likes to read the same books as you.
• Anticipation is a pleasant expectation of a joyful event. A person feels anticipation before the holidays or a long-awaited meeting.

Do we need negative emotions as well as positive ones?

Look at the list of negative emotions. Would you be willing to volunteer to try any of them? Probably not, and this is not surprising! We have already talked about the harm of negative emotions on physical health in an article about psychosomatics .

Here are some examples of identified patterns between negative emotions and human diseases.

Now refer to the list of examples of positive emotions. It is easy to see that this list is full of pleasant experiences that people strive to find and prolong. We need positive emotions to function effectively, grow and prosper.

So, if we generally dislike experiencing negative emotions and enjoy experiencing positive ones, do we even need negative experiences? As it turned out, yes. Next, we will look in more detail at why this happens.

List of Basic Low Frequency Emotions

• Sadness is a basic emotion that occurs when a significant object is lost, a peculiar variation of grief.
• Anger is a strong emotion that manifests itself when an obstacle suddenly appears. A person gets angry when he cannot get what he wants. Imagine that you saved money for a whole month to go to a concert of your favorite band. You bought a ticket, got ready for the event, but on the way you got into a serious traffic jam. The concert starts in 5 minutes, and you are standing five kilometers from the club. How will you feel? Anger!
• Suffering is a set of painful sensations that arise when all hope for the fulfillment of desired benefits and results is lost. A person suffers when he realizes that he will never see his loved one again.
• Disgust is a strong form of repulsion, rejection. We feel disgust when we see a person whose principles, actions and deeds fundamentally contradict our internal ideas about morality and universal values.
• Contempt is a subtle emotion closely related to disgust. Occurs in relation to unpleasant subjects. This is something like a silent condemnation for those actions that a person considers unacceptable.
• Shame is the subject’s awareness of the inconsistency of his actions with the requirements and standards accepted in society. It largely depends on the internal attitudes of the individual. For example, one person will feel shame for throwing garbage past the trash can, but another will not care.
• Fear is a state that occurs when receiving information about a possible threat. A person experiences fear when he realizes that he may get injured.
• Anxiety - can be caused by a whole range of different emotions: envy, jealousy, fear, etc. An individual may feel anxious when going into an important interview.
• Boredom is a passive state, a complete lack of interest. This emotion is well known to students who have to sit through tedious classes.
• Embarrassment is unexpected confusion when a person is taken by surprise. For example, a girl may be embarrassed if she unexpectedly meets a man with whom she is secretly in love.

Why are negative emotions needed?

Although they are unpleasant to experience, negative emotions are truly essential to living a fulfilling life. This happens for two reasons:

1. Negative emotions give us the opposite of positive feelings.
2. Without negativity, will positive emotions be as pleasant?

Negative emotions serve evolutionary purposes, encouraging us to act in ways that increase our chances of survival and help us grow and develop as individuals.

As psychologists note, there is a good reason for each of the basic emotions, both positive and negative:

• Anger is an incentive to fight problems;
• Fear - allows you to protect yourself from danger;
• Anticipation - helps to look into the future and plan;
• Surprise - focus on new sensations;
• Joy is to be reminded of what is truly important to us;
• Sadness - to connect with those we love;
• Trust - communicate with people who help;
• Aversion is to refuse something that is harmful to health.

Without fear, would you be here today? Or have you engaged in life-threatening activities, putting yourself at unnecessary risk? Without disgust, would you be able to refrain from consuming any harmful substances to which you have access?

As unpleasant as they may be, there is no denying that negative emotions serve important purposes in our lives.

Why is it good to be happy?

As you know, a positive emotional background is good for health. It helps improve the functioning of all organs and systems of the body, especially the nervous system. Positive emotions help to withstand stressful situations and avoid the occurrence of many diseases. Joy hormones (endorphins) contribute to the normalization of all biochemical processes in the body. Therefore, experiencing a lot of positive emotions is simply necessary for all people to maintain good health. It’s not for nothing that they say that laughter prolongs life.

Do people really only experience stress in negative situations?

Although you may think of stress as a purely negative emotion or reaction, people often experience stress in neutral and positive situations.

In fact, many events that are usually considered positive can cause enormous stress in our lives.

Here are just a few examples of positive experiences that stress can bring:

• Planning an upcoming wedding;
• Moving or new job;
• Expecting a baby;
• The start of an exciting journey.

It is natural to feel stressed in all of these situations, even if they are classified as happy and positive. This is another example of the interaction between positive and negative feelings that give balance to our lives.

Emotion scale: list of emotional tones

There is a scale of emotions. We all experience feelings and ways of expressing behavior - these are tones. The concept of a “scale of emotions” or tones appeared in the 50s of the last century. Thanks to this scale, people determined the emotional state of a person. Here are the emotional tones:

Emotion scale

Each emotion has its own color. This can be clearly seen in the picture above. This scale of emotions is usually depicted in numbers from 0.1 to 4.0 . A person who is high on the tone scale feels good in his environment. A person whose position is low on the scale of emotional tones is incapable of rational action and feels unwell. Some people are unable to stay in low tones for a long time, while others are stuck in destructive emotions, and this has become their problem.

Learn to manage your emotions so they don't rule your life. It depends on how happy you will feel, live life to the fullest, or be afraid of something, worry about something. Think about it. Good luck!

Positive and Negative Emotions: A Look at the Differences

As we now know, positive and negative emotions are vital to living a healthy, fulfilling life. Let's look at how emotions in both categories affect us.

How do they affect the brain? Positive and negative feelings play important roles when it comes to the brain, but in general they are different roles.

Positive feelings

They affect the brain in the following ways.

• Increases efficiency in performing a cognitive task, uplifting spirit, improving concentration and brain function .
• Triggers motivation and reward pathways in the brain, helping to reduce stress and improve well-being.
• They help expand the horizons and capabilities of our brain.

Negative feelings

They affect the brain in the following ways:

• Facilitate the processing of emotional conflicts, helping to understand conflicting information and not fall into procrastination;
• Help solve complex emotional problems;
• Facilitate the processing of cognitive conflicts by participating in the understanding of conflicting cognitive information.
• Reduces empathy and helps you avoid over-connecting with others and focus on your goals.

Both of these senses play important roles in psychology and brain function, and these roles complement each other rather than compete with each other.

Types of Positive Emotions

With the help of emotional states, you can express your positive attitude towards life. It is through positive joyful emotions that the path to happiness lies for each of us, and you can fill your world with them. There are many types of positive and pleasant emotions, each of which can play its own positive role in your life. Consider the following main types of emotions:

• Happiness is one of the most powerful emotions that evokes a whole range of delightful feelings. It arises from achieving large and important goals. And the longer and more difficult this goal, the stronger the feeling of happiness will be.
• Gratitude is a very powerful emotion that can work wonders in the life of every person. This is the ability to see all the good things that exist at the moment. This is the ability to accept what you don’t really like and would like to change. Gratitude builds trust in the world and the Universe and teaches you to appreciate what has already been achieved.
• The emotion of joy is the source of many other vivid sensations. It gives confidence, the ability to overcome the most difficult situations, and not give up in the face of difficulties. A joyful person feels inner strength, pleasure from life under any conditions, enjoyment of the moment now, satisfaction from life, the people around him and the whole world. This feeling awakens most strongly when we can realize our talents and potential. Then the strength increases many times over, and the positivity grows exponentially.
• Love is the most powerful force in this world. We are called to love and be loved. The feeling of love is like living water, without which it is simply impossible to live.
• Admiration helps you see the best in a situation or in other people. This is a powerful positive response and urge that changes the energy structure of the personality for the better.
• Pride that is based on joy. This is its main difference from pride, which is not related to positive emotions. Joyful pride more often appears for specific goals achieved when the result and its good impact are visible.
• Hope allows you to see the good at the end of any path; it helps you not to give up, but to continue doing what is important and valuable. Not only do optimistic thoughts help you feel hope; emotions of joy further enhance this feeling.
• Calmness allows you to relax, relieve tension, feel peace and be confident that everything will work out in the best possible way in any situation. When the mind is not occupied with heavy thoughts, one can enjoy the present moment and the opportunity to simply live.
• Curiosity and interest are at the core of our motivation. The result of the manifestation of these emotions is positive movement towards set goals, learning new things and variety in routine work. These types of emotions can become a source of inspiration, admiration and other various feelings that will allow you to expand your knowledge and experience.
• Surprise is a short-lived emotion. It quickly appears and quickly disappears, but it performs an important function of preparing for the acceptance of some new events.
• Kindness allows you to show your best qualities and contribute your piece to the world, decorating it and making it better. This feeling often manifests itself along with service and generosity. Moreover, generosity can be not only material, but also spiritual.
• Sympathy will not leave aside the troubles and problems of others. This bright feeling will help you understand what other people are experiencing in specific situations, and will help you reassure and support.

Read our article “Red jasper stone against all adversities.”

These basic types of emotions are all very interconnected. They go hand in hand and help us feel all the colors of the world and life together. You can experience several sensations at the same time, which in different situations come into contact with each other in various combinations. Emotions and feelings help to understand oneself, to understand another person, whose emotions previously caused misunderstanding and rejection. If you know what kind of emotions a person around you has, you will be able to avoid conflicts and create harmonious relationships. Every emotion is important; it allows you to scan your state and change it in time, first of all changing your thoughts.

The role of both senses in positive psychology

Considering the influence of positive and negative feelings on a person's thoughts and behavior, one can understand why positive psychology pays close attention to negative emotions. It is also important for us to learn to increase our positive emotions and take advantage of the opportunities they provide. It is equally important to learn to adapt to negative experiences and cope effectively with them.

When we are able to accept and use all emotions, we give ourselves the best chance to live a balanced, meaningful life. This is why the field of positive psychology does not focus on positive emotions alone.

It is also important to understand how to turn negative emotions into useful experiences and put them into practice.

How to get it or where to get it?

Everyone has probably had days “when you give up, and there are no words, no music, no strength. ”

On days like these, nothing makes you happy and you don’t really want to do anything.

The main thing is not to let this internal state consume you entirely. This can lead to mental illness.

As you know, “saving drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves,” which means we need to do something about it and get these very positive emotions from somewhere.

Here are a number of tips that can help cope with blues, apathy and even depression and call on positive emotions to help yourself:

1. Change the environment , it could be a simple visit to people you like or a trip.
2. Try to find yourself a hobby , this is great relaxation and the opportunity to do what you enjoy.
3. Call old friends whom you haven't seen for a long time, or meet them in a cafe or other pleasant environment.
4. Listen to your favorite music and even dance to it.
5. Go in for sports or physical exercise, run along the alleys, rollerblade, bike, run on a treadmill in the gym, swim in the pool.
6. Change your external image , go to a hairdresser, a makeup artist, a cosmetologist.
7. Walk through your favorite places in your locality, which are associated with good memories from childhood or adolescence.
8. Go to your or your friends’ dacha, do physical labor there, take a walk, cook a barbecue and barbecue.
9. If leaving the house is still a problem for you, then find forums with people on the Internet . Those close to you in spirit and hobbies, communicate with them, share your thoughts.
10. Set yourself up to receive positive emotions even from good weather.

In the process of tuning into positive emotions, it is important to give yourself the mindset that you, a happy person, simply live and have many options to diversify your life and see the good even in ordinary things.

For example, you went outside, the weather is rainy, windy, nothing predicts an improvement in your mood, but note that autumn nature, even in the rain, is full of colors and shades.

Take a walk through the park and enjoy the colors of golden autumn. The internal attitude will definitely work, and you will move away from your dark thoughts and experiences.

How to better track your emotions

We now know the importance of accepting and managing our emotions, both positive and negative. The next question is how we actually do it.

The first step to effectively managing emotions is to identify, understand, and look for patterns in emotional experiences.

If you need help identifying positive and negative emotions or tracking experiences, a few charts can help.

Wheel of Emotions