What are emotions - their types and meaning in human life

Emotions are almost the most important thing in a person and inherent only to him. It is a mental state associated with the nervous system, caused by chemical changes that are variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses and degrees of pleasure or displeasure.

There is currently no precise scientific definition. Emotions are often intertwined with mood, temperament, personality, character and motivation. They add color to our lives, describing feelings of sadness, joy, loneliness, fun and others.

What are emotions - definition and meaning

Human emotions are a mental process that arises in accordance with current situations.
The manifestation of emotions can be of different directions, and have both negative and positive connotations. This depends on the subjective evaluative opinion of each person. In simple language, emotions can be called the possibility of manifestation of experiences in the soul due to any situation. Translated from Latin, this word means “wave” or “shock.”

Thus, this is a certain process in which a person is not in a neutral state: he evaluates the situation with a certain sense of experience.

This condition overtakes a person from the inside. Externally the following signs appear:

• facial expressions;
• gestures and body position;
• voice;
• general behavior.

For example, you slipped on the street. In such a situation, many thoughts instantly arise in a person’s head: “How slippery! Now my leg hurts! You'll have to go to the emergency room.

Why do I even live in a country where there is winter?!” After assessing what happened, you will have a choice: silently keep your resentment and irritation to yourself, or lash out at some person, and it doesn’t matter whether you know him or not. Thanks to emotions, something special appears in our lives, motivating us to live.

Gray everyday life is brightened up with various feelings. Emotions help us live. Without them, human life would be like a robot's existence. Feelings are what distinguishes us from other creatures and objects.

Emotions and feelings are different from each other

Emotions and feelings are an integral part of personality.
Thanks to emotions, people can distinguish good from bad and create amazing pictures, songs, or stories. Emotional richness makes our lives varied and interesting. Without emotions and feelings, a person will not be able to love and regret. All our feelings and emotions can sometimes cause the desire to act irrationally. Very often, feelings and emotions are used interchangeably. This is partly true, but there are some differences between these definitions:

1. Emotions tend to last a short amount of time. For example, you bought a car that you have been wanting to buy for a long time. You will be happy for a while. Perhaps even the whole day. But gradually the emotion will subside, and you will begin to use your imagination and dream about something else. If it concerns a negative key, for example, if someone steps on your foot, you will become angry, but you will soon be able to forget about this incident, since there is no serious threat to your health;
2. Feelings are long-term. They are also called emotions that arise in a person over a long period of time. For example, you can show the emotion of love for your child from the moment he is born. Or spend your entire life being angry at the person who broke your heart. In these cases, love and anger have been present in a person’s life for a very long time, this fact makes them feelings.

Emotions can become feelings. If we talk about the spectrum of positive emotions, then there is nothing bad. Chronic joy is not a disease. However, when people keep negative images within themselves for a long time, they begin to destroy themselves from the inside, which is very harmful to the spiritual and physical state of a person.

This can lead to apathy and depression. This happens due to the fact that at some point in time we did not allow the emotion to come out. For example, if a person at school age was offended by a classmate and he could not do anything to him, in the depths of his soul, unexpressed emotions will be deposited. They will make him remember this situation again and again in his thoughts, and he will become more irritated.

Don't keep all your emotions inside. Everything you feel has strong energy that can harm your health. To prevent this from happening, you need to show your emotions. When expressing your feelings, remember that your actions may harm your loved ones or people around you, so try to respond to situations within the bounds of accepted decency

Emotions must be brought out and not kept inside, because negative emotions can significantly ruin a person’s life. Negative emotions that a person experiences for a long time can provoke a depressive state. A strong blow to the nervous system will cause great damage to health and cause emotional instability.

Why do people need emotions (the main functions of emotions)

Signal. Perhaps the most important function. Its essence is to express a person’s desire. It helps to understand what a person wants at a given time. Thanks to it, a person can build his future steps.

Motivational-regulating. In many ways similar to the signal one. Its difference is that it helps to build a plan of steps for the long term, while the signal one helps to make a decision immediately in a stressful situation.

Communicative. Of course, emotions play an important role in communication. Thanks to them, we can see what mood our interlocutor is in. We will be able to clearly see emotions such as sadness or anger and, based on the information received, we will understand how to build communication.

Protective. In some situations, emotions can save us from any external influences. For example, fear and cowardice will take us away from a dangerous place and save our lives and nerve cells.

Emotions largely depend on the person and his thoughts. If he thinks about positive things, then he will not be tormented by negative feelings. And if a person is fixated on the bad, then he will perceive everything bad that happens around him personally.

Lyubov Bogdanova

Scientists have many approaches - to the topic of stress, to the topic of emotions, feelings, psychology, personal growth, self-development, energy, etc. and so on…. I try not to overload you with theoretical polemics. If you want to know about all points of view, the whole world is available to you to receive information.

1. Fear and its derivatives (that is, feelings that are essentially forms of fear, but less intense): fear, fear, excitement, guilt, shame, anxiety, anxiety.

2. Anger and its derivatives: anger, anger, irritation, resentment, hatred, rage.

3. Joy and its derivatives: joy, fun, delight.

4. Sadness and its derivatives: sadness, sadness, regret, disappointment.

You can print it out and carry it with you in a pocket notebook to keep a diary of emotions.

Fear, horror, anxiety, uncertainty, worry, surprise, confusion, puzzlement, dumbfounded, excitement, confusion, anger, rage, revenge, hatred, anger, indignation, irritation, resentment, annoyance, disgust, jealousy, envy, dissatisfaction, impatience, sadness, despair, bitterness, abandonment, loneliness, helplessness, boredom, fatigue, disappointment, depression, regret, joy, delight, tenderness, inspiration, satisfaction, gratitude, revitalization, elation, passion, relief, peace, tranquility.

There are lists and even more. Undeniable, perhaps. But it gives a lot of food for thought about yourself. And most importantly - for the growth of awareness. I numbered it simply out of curiosity - there are 155 positions in this list.

1. Apathy 2. Ambition 3. Hopelessness 4. Security 5. Indifference 6. Anxiety 7. Helplessness 8. Powerlessness 9. Frenzy 10. Gratitude 11. Bliss 12. Intimacy 13. Pain 14. Fear 15. Vigor 16. Disgust 17. Riot 18. Inspiration 19. Fun 20. Excetness 21. Wine 22. Loveliness 23. Lust 24. Excitement 25. Exitivation 26. Outgoing 27. Enjoyment 28. delight 29. admiration 30. hostility 31. Higherness 32. Mastenness 33. Anger 34. Anger 34. Pride 35. Pride 36. Grief 37. Sadness 38. Duality 39. Trust 40. Annoyance 41. Dignity 42. Contentment 43. Unity 44. Greed 45. Pity 46. Self-pity 47. Creepy 48. Envy 49. Isolation 50 Shyness 51. Schadenfreude 52. Anger 53. Interest 54. Irony 55. Fear 56. Affectionate 57. Lightness 58. Jubilation 59. Love 60. Curiosity 61. Vengeance 62. Torment 63. Hope 64. Arrogance 65. Tension 66. Enjoyment 67. Mockery 68. Crazy 69. Distrust 70. Dissatisfaction 71. Perplexity 72. Nonness 73. Tenderness 74. Employment 75. Hatred 76. Hatibility 77. Indecision 78. Intelligence 79. Intelligence 80. Intelligence 81. worthlessness 82. Nonality 83. Nonality 83. Resentment 84. Relief 85. Doom 86. Community 87. Loneliness 88. Bitterness 89. Animation 90. Puzzle 91. Disgust 92. Apprehension 93. Emptiness 94. Rejection 95. Disgust 96. Detachment 97. Despair 98. Numbness 99. Dazed 100 Panic 101. Sadness 102. Depression 103. Support 104. Suspicion 105. Peace 106. Gratitude 107. Elation 108. Protest 109. Indifference 110. Joy 111. Cordiality 112. Irritation 113. Confusion 114. Jealousy 115. Shyness 116. Sarcasm 117. Cordiality 118. Sympathy 119. Sorrow 120. Boredom 121. Humility 122. Confusion 123. Confusion 124. Condolence 125. Doubt 126. Empathy 127. Calm 128. Compassion 129. Compassion 130. Sympathy 131. Passion 1 32. Fear 133. Shame 134. Happiness 135. Solemnity 136. Melancholy 137. Anxiety 138. Heaviness 139. Respect 140. Confidence 141. Passion 142. Surprise 143. Satisfaction 144. Pleasure 145. Horror 146. Peace 147. Humiliation 148. U whining 149. Rapture 150 Flawedness 151. Vulnerability 152. Frustration 153. Shock 154. Euphoria 155. Rage

Excitement, gambling /// Accuracy /// Activity, active /// Greed (parts) /// Altruism /// Ambivalence /// Antipathy (parts) /// Apatitia /// Appetite / // Artistry /// Carelessness /// Lack of will, lack of will /// Carelessness (s) /// Defenselessness /// Obscurity /// Lack of initiative /// Serenity /// Hopelessness (s) /// Safety /// Irresponsibility (s) /// Indifference (s) (s) /// Madness (s) /// Inconsolability /// Indifference (s) (s) ) /// Lack of initiative /// Hopelessness /// Thrift /// Unselfishness, (-ness) /// Anxiety (-ness) (-ness) (-th) /// Uselessness (-th) /// Helplessness (-th) /// Impartiality (-th) /// Heartlessness (-th) (-th) /// Powerlessness (-th) /// Meaninglessness /// Vapidity (-th) /// Dispassion (- (-ness) from Passion /// Fearlessness (-ness) (-ness) from Fear /// Aimlessness /// Insensitivity (-ness) (-ness) /// Frenzy /// Awe /// Gratitude (-th) /// Well-being /// Nobility /// Benevolence /// Goodness /// Bliss (-th) /// Myopia /// Proximity /// Cheerfulness (-th) /// Combat (s) comp. /// Divinity (s) /// Soreness (sickness) /// Talkativeness /// Pain /// Fearfulness, cowardice /// Disgust /// Abandonment (s) /// Grouchiness /// Rebellion /// Importance /// Inspiration /// Politeness /// Generosity, (s), (s) /// Splendor (s) /// greatness /// Loyalty /// Fun /// Excited /// Quarrelsomeness /// Guilt, Blame /// Involvement /// Power, Imperious (-loving), Power h. /// Attraction /// / Falling in love /// Attention /// Attentiveness /// Lust /// Excitement (-ness) (-th) /// Sublimity (-th) /// Indignation (-ness), (-th. ) (indignation) /// Militant (-ness) /// Excitement, agitation /// Will /// Inspiration /// Grumpiness /// Admiration (-ness) /// Hostility (-ness), Enemy , Hostility parts /// Harmfulness /// Hot temper (-th) /// Anxiety (-th) /// Corrosiveness (-th) /// Defiant behavior, challenge /// Arrogance /// Heights / // Lethargy /// Gallantry MorKach /// Harmonies, comp. /// Stupidity, stupid /// Anger, Anger (-y) /// Hunger /// Pride /// Grief (sorrow), grieve /// Bitterness /// Hospitality /// Willingness (th. ) /// Falls /// Rudeness /// Sadness /// Humanity /// Foresight /// Efficiency /// Depression /// Insolence /// Destructiveness /// Disharmony, comp. /// Debatability /// Kindness /// Virtue, -ness /// Benevolence, condition, (-ness) /// Conscientiousness /// Kindness (mental construct), kind /// Trust /// Trust /// Contentment /// Pesky /// Debt /// Annoyance /// Dignity /// Friendship /// Friendliness, friendliness (skill) /// Spirituality /// Stuffiness /// Peace of mind / // Uniqueness /// Unity, unity /// Naturalness /// Greed /// Thirst, (-thirst) /// Thirsts /// Pity /// Desirability /// Femininity // / Love of life /// Cheerfulness /// care, thoughtfulness (-y) /// Rejection /// Abandonment (-y) /// Completeness /// envy (-living) (-living) /// Fascination (- ny) /// Overwhelm (-th) /// Constriction /// Interest /// Complexity /// Completeness /// Confusion /// Closedness (-th) /// Boring (-tiredness) // / Intimidation (s) /// Confusion (confused) /// Shyness (s) /// Confused (s) /// Seedy /// Enchanted (s) /// Protection /// Security / // Anger, embitterment, angry, Evil /// Schadenfreude /// Slander /// Anger /// Significance /// Ignoring /// Fame /// Betrayal /// Variability /// Exhaustion / // Ingenuity (-th) /// Isolation (-th) /// Amazement, -ness (-th) /// Intelligence /// Interest, interest /// Awareness /// Exclusivity /// Sincerity, sincere /// Temptation /// Use /// Depravity /// Fright (fright), (-th) /// Lack /// Frenzy, frenzy /// Hysteria, Hysteria / // Caprice, capricious /// Prickliness, causticity /// Sociability nav. /// Complex (-ov) /// Comfort (-oshch), comfort /// Control, Control /// Self-interest /// beauty, Handsome /// Show off /// Loudness (-vyy) /// Bloodthirstiness /// Painstaking /// Easy /// Gullibility /// Lightness /// Cherish /// Laziness /// Laziness /// Deceit /// Hypocrisy /// Superfluous (somewhere , someone) /// Concept of love, love condition, amorousness /// Courtesy /// Beloved /// Love /// Curiosity /// Curiosity (s) /// Slowness /// Melancholy (- ny) /// Pettiness /// Measure, -ry h. /// Revenge /// Dreaminess, dream /// Darling /// Peace, Peaceful, sensational. peace /// Peacefulness, -ness /// Suspiciousness /// Silence, Silence /// Vengefulness (s) /// Wisdom /// Masculinity (s), courage /// Soft /// Gentleness /// Observation /// Hope /// Reliability /// Hopeful, hope. /// Arrogance /// Annoyance (-th) /// Tension /// Violence, Violent /// Enjoyment /// Mockery /// Perseverance /// Alertness (-th) /// Real (? ??) /// Assertiveness /// Saturation /// Insolence, Insolence /// * In a state of decline /// * Not appreciated /// Inadequacy /// Carelessness /// / Impoliteness /// Unluckiness /// Innocence, Innocent /// Inattention /// Incontinence /// Incontinence (???) /// Negativity /// Indignation /// Malice / // Distrust /// Dissatisfaction (s), Displeasure /// Underestimation /// Unworthy /// Tenderness /// Independence (s) /// Insecurity (s) /// Ignorance (?? ?) /// Insignificance (s) /// Fury (s) /// Neutrality (s) /// Awkwardness /// Hatred (s) /// Unnecessity (s) /// Lack of education, part (s) /// Necessities, parts (s), (s) /// Unsociability /// Uncertainty /// Disorganization, (s) /// Inevitability /// Unpreparedness /// Inferiority, (-th) /// Incomprehensibility of part, (-th), incomprehensible /// Inconsistency /// Spontaneity of part, (-th) /// Dissimilarity of part. /// Inflexibility, part /// Non-recognition /// Restlessness /// Inconspicuousness /// Lack of adaptation /// Dislike /// Rejection, part /// Trouble, part, unpleasant /// Nervousness /// Nervous /// Nervousness /// Indecision /// Sloppiness /// Inability /// Irrelevance /// Non-existent, non-existence /// Misfortunes /// Impatience, Impatience /// Impatience /// Uncertainty, ( -ny) /// Restlessness, (-ny) /// Loser, -liviness /// Inconvenience /// dissatisfaction (frustration) /// Displeasure /// Irrelevance /// Uncontrollability h., (-my ) /// Lack of perseverance /// Invulnerability /// Dishonesty /// Low (...*feeling of a low ceiling...) /// Worthlessness, (s) /// Worthlessness /// Nostalgia /// Needs // / Neediness, neediness /// Charm /// Discouragement /// Concern /// Depreciation /// Gluttony (???) /// Resentment, Resentment, Touchiness /// Offended /// Relief / // Deception, Deception /// adoration /// Sociability /// Community /// Unity, unification /// Obligation /// Sadness /// Limitation, restriction /// Loneliness, lonely /// Approval /// Spirituality /// Liveliness, Revival (s) /// Concern /// Puzzled /// Illumination /// Bitterness /// Mischief /// Disgust. /// Fear /// Danger /// Patronization /// Justified /// Neatness /// Optimism, optimism /// Empty /// Refreshing /// Liberation /// Offended /// Caution /// Wit /// Condemnation /// Courage /// Courage /// Rejection, outcast /// Responsibility /// Disgust /// Rest /// Responsiveness /// Frank /// Openness, - ty /// Detachment, Absence /// Denial /// Backwardness (???) /// Detachment /// Despair /// Charm /// Dazed /// Stunned /// Panic /// Panic /// / Passivity /// Patriotism /// Change, (-chiness) /// Frightened, frightened /// Pessimism, (-zm) /// Sadness (sadness), sad /// Poignancy /// Bad /// Victory /// Beaten /// Depression /// Support /// Under-control /// Meanness /// Suspicion /// Submission /// Rise /// Positive /// Shame /// Abandonment /// Peace /// Usefulness /// Completeness /// Flattered /// Helping /// Understanding /// Understandability /// Popularity /// Constancy /// Shameful /// Loss /// Loss of condition / // State shocks /// lust, Lust /// Reverence /// Reverence /// Truthfulness /// Righteousness /// Correctness /// Excellence. /// devotion /// Betrayal /// Anticipation /// Prejudice /// contempt, -ity /// Beautiful /// Charm, -ny /// Neglect /// Persecuted /// Satiation /// Friendliness /// Attachment /// Pickiness /// Down-to-earthness /// Gratitude /// Influx of energy /// Affiliation /// Belittlement /// Integrity /// Acceptance /// Shame /// Pretending /// Attractiveness /// Liking /// Pleasant /// Probing /// Provocation /// Contradiction /// Forgiveness, Forgiving (?) /// Shyness /// Punctuality /// Emptiness / // Efficiency /// Balance /// Indifference /// Joy /// Cordiality /// Irritation, Irritability /// disappointment /// Reasonableness /// Furious /// Vulnerability /// Repentance / // Looseness /// Looseness /// Angry /// Absent-mindedness /// Relaxation /// Upset, frustration /// confusion /// Effortlessness /// Wastefulness /// Laxity /// Jealousy, jealousy /// Decisiveness /// Shyness /// Romanticism /// Luxury /// Rokhlya /// Routines /// Zealous /// Independence /// Self-confidence /// Self-deprecating zhenie /// Self-worth /// Sarcasm /// Confusion /// Sveta ch. /// Light /// Freedom /// Holiness /// Restraint, restrained, Restrained /// Sexuality /// Sentimentality /// Cordiality /// Seriousness /// Strength /// Strength /// Sympathy /// Shining /// Skeptical /// Stiffness /// Sorrow /// Secrecy /// Boredom /// Stinginess MorKach /// Bored /// Weakness /// Feeble-minded /// Weak /// Love of fame /// Glory /// Voluptuousness /// Tears /// Talkative /// Broken /// Listen, absorbed in listening (???) /// Courage /// Brave /// Death, -ness /// ridiculousness /// Humility /// Confused /// Confusion /// Condescending /// Composure /// Property /// Conscience / // Create (ness) desire (???) /// Doubt /// Drowsiness /// Sleepy /// Empathy /// Competition /// Co-involvement /// Concentration /// Compassion /// Co-creation /// Sympathy /// Sympathy /// Hasty /// Calm /// Controversial /// Ability /// justice /// Grow /// Love of money (-self-interest) /// Stability, (- ste) /// Herd /// Constraint /// Shy /// Persistent /// Suffering /// Passion /// Fear /// Aspiration, impetuosity /// Stress /// Strictness /// Shame , Shyness /// Fussiness, vanity /// Crazy /// Happy /// Happiness /// Satiety /// Mystery /// Tact, Tact /// Creativity /// Warmth /// Patient, - ost /// Patience /// Tolerance /// Quiet /// Crowds /// Thick /// Languish /// Triumphant /// Melancholy /// Accuracy // / Nausea /// Tragedy /// Demandingness /// Anxiety(s) /// Anxiety (personal) /// Trembling /// Hard work /// Cowardice(s) /// Dumb / // Dullness /// Vanity /// Heaviness /// conviction, -ness /// Respect(s) /// Confidence(s) (-personal.) /// Passion( -nie) /// Depression (s) /// Threatening /// Remorse /// Sullenness (s) /// Luck /// Surprise (s) /// Satisfaction (s) (- ny) (-ness) /// Pleasure, Satisfied, Contentment (with little) /// Horror (-th) /// Accommodation /// Smiling /// Ability to fantasize /// Moderation /// Tenderness (- ness) /// Peacefulness /// Humiliation /// Despondency /// Discouragement /// despondency /// Despondency /// Stubbornness /// Balance /// Ugliness /// Perseverance /// Fatigue /// Compliance /// Comforted /// Fatigue /// Tired /// Refinement /// Loss /// Deterioration // / Defectiveness /// Comfort (s) /// Vulnerability /// Vulnerability /// Imagination (s) /// Blues /// Thriftiness /// Good /// Courage (s) - lack of fear of DANGER /// Determination (s) /// Chastity (s) /// Integrity /// Integrity (s) /// Value /// Tenacity (s) /// Honesty (s) / // ambition /// Honor /// Cleanliness /// Sensuality /// Sensitivity /// Feeling – /// Strangeness /// Unsteadiness /// Shocking /// Noisy /// Playfulness (- vyy) /// Generosity, generous /// Egoism /// Selfishness /// Egocentricity (???) /// Euphoria /// Ecstasy /// Ecstasy /// The elegance of the sea. Quality /// Emotionality (s) /// Empathy /// Energy (s) /// Enthusiasm comp. /// Eroticism /// humor /// Humor is a skill. (-th) Humorous /// Rage (-th) /// Clarity /// ///

Why do people experience emotions?

Emotions arise spontaneously, but certain factors are necessary for their occurrence.
For example, if a person is in great pain, then you can see the corresponding facial expressions on his face, and he may also scream. Each person has his own emotional threshold of sensitivity. Therefore, each person reacts differently to the same situations. We probably have emotions because they help us survive. But they can also drive us crazy when they control us too much.

There is another reason why we have developed emotions. It lies in the fact that emotions help build relationships and connect communities of people. We would not be able to coordinate our goals so well if we did not love, fear, trust, and have a sense of pride.

A person is predisposed to experience certain feelings that are necessary not only for survival and relationship building, but also for everyday life. Without emotions we would live like robots. Work would be monotonous, like all of life. Emotions color our world.

What types of emotions are there?

There are a large number of emotions, thanks to which we have the opportunity to better perceive our world. Until recently, scientists believed that there were only 7 basic feelings. However, recent studies have proven that there are many times more emotions, about 27.

Globally they are divided into three parts: positive, neutral and negative. According to the degree of manifestation, they can be sthenic (manifest very actively) and non-sthenic (almost not manifest).

Despite the fact that in the global sense there are only 3, there are many more subtypes:

1. Basic. These emotions are inherent to every person. They do not depend on gender, age, nationality. Everyone knows how to be sad and happy;
2. Variable. Due to territorial characteristics;
3. Congenital. Emotions we are born with. For example, fear of heights;
4. Purchased. Emotions that we acquire throughout life. For example, after a car accident, people may become afraid to drive private vehicles;
5. Elementary. Neutral. Mainly emotions of calm;
6. Composite. They are a combination of elementary;
7. Natural. Inherent in man by nature
8. Cultural. Emotions received in the process of learning from their parents or mentors;
9. Cognitively simple. We experience such emotions as a result of instant reactions to any stimulus;
10. Cognitively challenging. Unlike cognitively simple ones, such emotions are born after a deep understanding of what happened.

Thanks to the expanded classification system of our functions, we have many possibilities for expressing emotionality.

Positive emotions

As mentioned above, emotions can be negative and positive. Most people like to feel good, and positive emotions help us feel uplifted and more comfortable. Positive emotions usually do not need a reason; we feel them involuntarily.

Experiencing emotions such as happiness, excitement, joy, hope and inspiration are vital for anyone who wants to lead a happy and healthy life. Luckily, you don't have to experience them all the time to reap the benefits of positive emotions.

These moments, often fleeting, can be what make your life better and brighter. Beyond just feeling good, positive emotions are also an important part of happiness. Moreover, happy people live longer and work better.

Negative emotions

Negative emotion or affect is the experience of negative emotions such as anger, frustration, guilt, nervousness and fear. Causing negative emotions in your friends when they are enraged by your behavior is one of the ways to make them angry.

Therefore, it is important to learn how to prevent negative influences from affecting you and instead create positive emotions. To do this, it is enough not to be an irritant to other people and to behave correctly in certain situations. It is important to understand how much your behavior will be accepted by society at the right time.

A person can mask his emotions depending on the situation in which he finds himself. In our society, many emotions are considered to be a sign of weakness, therefore, people often hide their emotional experiences and try to smile in those moments when there is no joy in their souls

Psychophysiology of emotions

1. FUNCTIONS OF EMOTIONS

Emotions play an extremely important role in people's lives. Thus, today no one denies the connection between emotions and the functioning of the body. It is well known that under the influence of emotions the activity of the circulatory, respiratory, digestive organs, endocrine and exocrine glands, etc. changes. Excessive intensity and duration of experiences can cause disturbances in the body. M.I. Astvatsaturov (1936) wrote that the heart is more often affected by fear, the liver by anger, and the stomach by apathy and a depressed state. The occurrence of these processes is based on changes occurring in the external world, but affects the activity of the entire organism.

In addition to the fact that emotions perform the function of regulating the state of the body, they are also involved in regulating human behavior in general. This became possible because human emotions have a long history of phylogenetic development, during which they began to perform a number of specific functions that are unique to them.

Researchers have identified several functions of emotions: reflective (evaluative), pre-information (signal), stimulating, reinforcing, switching, communicative.

Reflective function of emotions

expressed in a generalized assessment of events. Emotions cover the entire body and thereby produce almost instantaneous integration, generalization of all types of activities that it performs, which allows us to first determine the usefulness and harmfulness of the factors affecting it and react before the localization of the harmful effects is determined.

This function is more obvious for such experiences as anger, hatred, shame, since they are directly connected with reactions, while for experiences of pleasure, suffering, joy, boredom, it is not always possible to determine their causes. A person’s emotional evaluative abilities are formed not only on the basis of the experience of his individual experiences, but also as a result of emotional empathy that arises in communication with other people, in particular through the perception of works of art and the media. That is, a person’s emotional experience is much broader than the experience of his individual experiences. And this is one of the factors in the development of a person’s emotional sphere.

The study of the reflective function of emotions led P.V. Simonov to the development of need-information theory,

according to which “emotion is a reflection by the brain of humans and higher animals of any actual need (its quality and magnitude) and the probability (possibility) of its satisfaction, which the subject involuntarily evaluates on the basis of innate and previously acquired individual experience.”

Emotions also perform pre-information,

or
signaling
function.

Life without emotions is just as impossible as life without sensations. Emotions, Charles Darwin argued, arose in the process of evolution as a means by which living beings establish the significance of certain conditions to satisfy their actual needs. Emotionally expressive movements (facial expressions, gestures, pantomime) serve as signals about the state of the human needs system. The experiences that arise signal to a person how the process of satisfying his needs is going, what obstacles he encounters on his way, what he needs to pay attention to first, etc.

The evaluative or reflective function of emotions is directly related to its motivating function.

Emotion reveals the search zone where a solution to a problem or satisfaction of a need will be found.
Emotional experience contains an image of the object of need satisfaction and one’s biased attitude towards it, which prompts a person to action. Two classes of emotions, according to V.K. Vilyunasu, leading and situational (or derivatives) - have the function of motivation. The leading emotional experience
directed at the object—the goal of behavior that satisfies the need—initiates adaptive behavior itself.
Situational emotional experiences
that arise as a result of assessments of the results of individual stages of behavior also encourage the subject to act in the same direction or change tactics of behavior, behavior itself, and means of achieving the goal.

The reinforcing function of emotions.

It is known that emotions are directly involved in the processes of learning and memory. Significant events that cause emotional reactions are imprinted in memory faster and for a long time. Thus, a well-fed cat cannot develop conditioned food reflexes. Successful learning requires the presence of motivational arousal, in this case reflected in the feeling of hunger. However, the combination of an indifferent stimulus with hunger excitation is not yet sufficient for the development of conditioned food reflexes. A third component is required - the influence of a factor that can satisfy the existing need - food. In the experiments of T.N. Oniani, who combined an external stimulus with electrical stimulation of the limbic structures of the brain, causing a need for food in a well-fed cat, managed to develop only a conditioned reaction of avoidance and fear. But it was not possible to obtain conditioned reflexes of food. The main reason is that the electrical stimulation of the limbic structure, used as reinforcement, did not contain a reward—the satisfaction of a need.

It is also impossible to develop conditioned reflex hunger if you combine indifferent stimuli - environmental signals with the state caused by food deprivation. In such an animal, in response to the experimental situation, it is not the search for food behavior that is developed, but a reaction of fear and avoidance. That is, the indifferent stimulus is associated with the avoidance reaction with which the animal responds to a situation of prolonged starvation, since this reaction reduces fear.

Thus, the real reinforcement for the development of a conditioned reflex (classical and instrumental) is a reward.

The reward for a hungry animal can be food.

Under natural conditions, human activity and animal behavior are determined by many needs at different levels. Their interaction is expressed in the competition of motives that manifest themselves in emotional experiences. Evaluations through emotional experiences have motivating power and can determine the choice of behavior. As was shown earlier using the example of intellectual emotions, the “emotional premonition of solving a problem” encourages the completion of actions in the selected search zone, and the “premonition of a contradiction” prompts a change in this zone. Essentially, emotions of success and failure have the ability to encourage a person to switch from one action to another. In particular, this already expresses the switching function of emotions.

Switching function of emotions

It is especially clearly revealed in the competition of motives, as a result of which the dominant need is determined. Thus, in extreme conditions, a struggle may arise between the natural human instinct of self-preservation and the social need to follow a certain ethical norm. It is experienced in the form of a struggle between fear and a sense of duty, fear and shame. The outcome depends on the strength of motives and personal attitudes.

Communication function

lies in the fact that emotions, or more precisely, the methods of their external expression, carry information about the mental and physical state of a person. Thanks to emotions, we understand each other better. By observing changes in emotional states, it becomes possible to judge what is happening in the psyche. People belonging to different cultures are able to accurately perceive and evaluate many expressions of the human face, and identify from it such emotions as joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise. This also applies to those peoples who have never been in direct contact with each other.

Mimic and pantomimic movements allow a person to convey his experiences to other people, inform them about his attitude towards phenomena, objects, etc. Facial expressions, gestures, postures, expressive sighs, changes in intonation are the “language of human feelings”, a means of communicating not so much thoughts, so many emotions.

A major role in the study of expressive movements was played by Charles Darwin’s work, “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals,” published in 1872. Comparing the expression of emotions in humans and domestic animals, he came to the conclusion that the muscle movements with which a person expresses his emotions originated from similar motor acts of our ancestors.

There are genetically specified universal complexes of behavioral reactions that express the emergence of basic fundamental emotions. Genetic determination of expressive reactions

is confirmed by the similarity of expressive facial movements in blind and sighted people (smile, laughter, tears).
The differences in facial movements between blind and sighted young children are very small. However, with age, the facial expressions of sighted people become more expressive and generalized, while in the blind they not only do not improve, but even regress. Consequently, facial movements not only have a genetic determinant, but also strongly depend on training and upbringing.
It should be noted that if, by comparing emotions caused by the same object in different people, one can detect a certain similarity, then other emotional manifestations in people are strictly individual. The variety of emotional manifestations is expressed primarily in the prevailing mood of people. Under the influence of life conditions and depending on the attitude towards them, some people have a high, cheerful, cheerful mood; for others - depressed, depressed, sad; for others - capricious, irritable, etc.

Significant individual differences are also observed in the emotional excitability of people. There are people who are emotionally unsensitive, for whom only some extraordinary events evoke pronounced emotions. Such people do not so much feel when they find themselves in this or that life situation as they recognize it with their minds. There is another category of people - emotionally excitable ones, in whom the slightest trifle can cause strong emotions. Even an unimportant event causes their mood to rise or fall.

There are significant differences between people in the depth and stability of feelings. Some people are completely overwhelmed by their feelings and leave a deep imprint behind them. For other people, feelings are superficial, flow easily, unnoticeably, pass quickly and completely without a trace. Manifestations of affects and passions differ noticeably among people. In this regard, we can identify people who are unbalanced, who easily lose control over themselves and their behavior, who tend to easily succumb to affects and passions, for example, unbridled anger, panic, and excitement. Other people, on the contrary, are always balanced, completely in control of themselves, and consciously control their behavior.

One of the most significant differences between people lies in the way feelings and emotions are reflected in their activities. So, for some people, feelings are effective in nature and encourage action, while for others everything is limited to the feeling itself, which does not cause any changes in behavior. In its most vivid form, the passivity of feelings is expressed in human sentimentality. Such people, as a rule, are prone to emotional experiences, but the feelings they have do not affect their behavior.

List of all emotions (most common)

Among all known human emotions, the most powerful are the emotions from the list below:

1. Anger. Has anyone ever told you not to do what you want? How are you feeling? Is your blood starting to boil, is your temperature rising? This is usually how anger is described. Your body reacts to something that is not happening your way, and this is an attempt to correct the situation;
2. Sadness. If you miss a deadline, get a bad grade, or don't complete work, you'll probably feel upset. Sadness happens when we are unhappy with ourselves, our accomplishments, or the behavior of someone else around us. Sadness can be a healthy experience because it indicates that we are passionate about something. It can be a great catalyst for achieving change;
3. Joy is a feeling of delight, happiness, and perhaps even euphoria, often experienced as a sudden surge due to something good;
4. Hope is a feeling of optimism and anticipation of a positive future;
5. Pride is a feeling of self-approval and pleasure in an achievement or skill.

To prevent your emotional state from harming you and your environment, you need to learn to control your feelings and emotions. Despite the fact that emotions arise on their own, it is quite possible to curb them. In any current situation, you need to look at the circumstances soberly in order to prevent bad consequences.

A list of a person’s emotions and feelings will help you understand your inner state. Using this table, you can divide our emotions into certain groups in order to understand your inner world more deeply and stop in time if the situation gets out of control.

Frequently used emotions

Basic human emotions have not changed in thousands of years, and we still experience fear, lust, love and joy. The basic emotions of a person can be counted on one hand, but there are a great many derivatives. The more developed the society, the richer the palette of emotions. In primitive societies, such as the indigenous tribes of the Amazon forest, there is no such diversity. They know what fear, joy, lust, sorrow, pleasure, regret are, and this is quite enough to survive in the wild.

Civilized people also most often experience precisely this set of emotions, but in a “diluted” and modified form. This is due to the active mental work that we all carry out. The simpler life is, the more primitive the emotions. The richer a person’s inner world (readability, education, curiosity, developed nervous system, subtle mental organization), the richer his emotional baggage.

How to learn to control your emotions

To avoid an outburst of emotions, it is worth taking a few simple steps to calm your agitated spirit and restless mind. When the situation passes, believe me, you will thank yourself for being able to keep your emotions in check and become your own boss.

Fully managing yourself emotionally requires mental discipline and sacrifice. For those who are primarily familiar with their sentimental experience, managing emotions can be one of the most difficult aspects of life.

Having a reliable method in your arsenal is a game changer. We are going to share a technique that many famous people use to constantly monitor their condition and free their mind from constant indulgence in the vast emotional palette offered to us all.

Everyone experiences negative and unproductive thoughts, and most of us can remember ones that have left us confused, wondering what alternate universe or reality they came from.

You can't always control the crazy things that come into your head, but you can control how long that thought stays constant, whether you allow it to take root, influence your feelings, and ultimately dictate your actions. Although you cannot have absolute control over your feelings, you can control some of them through closed action.

The path of closed action is a phenomenon in which a person suppresses feelings within himself for a certain period of time. For example, it is better to contain your anger if you are sitting in your boss’s office.

Depending on what emotions a person experiences. Internal energy in the body is concentrated in the form shown in the figure. Understanding this, you can direct the flow of this energetic charge in the right direction and learn to control yourself in any situation

How to express emotions

Many people find it difficult to express their emotions. Some people overexpress how they feel, while others don't share at all. Knowing how to accurately express your emotions will help you in your personal, social, and professional life. There are many theories and techniques that teach how to suppress or control emotions. This approach has been proven to not actually be effective.

Emotions and feelings are spontaneous and automatic, and must be felt and expressed. It has been scientifically proven that avoiding and suppressing them can have negative psychological consequences. Modern therapies such as acceptance, commitment and other techniques such as mindfulness can help you accept your feelings and learn how to restore them.

Your emotions are a part of you and need to be taken care of. To express emotions correctly, you must understand the situation you are in.

You need to learn to recognize feelings. You need to see the line between places where you can behave without restrictions, and where you definitely need to control yourself.

It is worth paying special attention to your inner state. To act and react correctly in certain situations, you must always be calm. If you are confused, then most likely the situation you are in will very quickly get out of control

Meditation exercise for understanding emotions

When working with clients, I often use a meditation exercise to help them better understand their own emotions. It is so effective that I decided to make an audio recording so that anyone could use this technique. The mechanism of action of the exercise is based on the connection between emotions and bodily reactions. Any, even the most insignificant, emotion is reflected in the body (read more about this here). By learning to listen to your own bodily reactions, you can become more familiar with your emotions.

You can do the exercise right now. Here's the entry:

Once you have learned what emotions are like and have easily learned to describe your inner state, you may be interested in exploring yourself more deeply. For example, you may want to figure out what positive meaning emotions can carry that, at first glance, are absolutely meaningless and even harmful. Read about this in the next article.

Benefits and harms of emotional state

Sometimes an emotional state can lead to a real disaster. This happens because there is always a need for a balance between negative and positive emotions. If you are too happy, almost to the point of euphoria, you will not be able to concentrate on work or school and will subsequently produce poor results.

This fact is called compensation. We also get harm from negative feelings; we can be sad for so long that we become depressed. We can also benefit from our emotional state. Thanks to some facts that please us, we feel more confident and courageous.

You should take your ability to control your own emotional state very seriously. After all, it has long been proven that oversaturated emotions can cause serious illnesses

Damage to the integrity of your energy shell opens up the possibility of many mental and physical illnesses. In the early stages of this gap, you can correct this situation without much difficulty.

You can seek advice from healers who will explain your problem and help prevent further destruction of the energy shell.

Summarizing

So, emotions are an important chemical process inside the human brain that regulates the psychological part of his life.

Feelings help us respond to any stimuli from the outside world. As a rule, they are accompanied by some changes in the body. They are divided into several types and have many functions. They brighten up our lives and, without any doubt, are our internal guidelines that help us choose the right step in any situation.

People need to be sure to respect their emotions and not keep them inside, as this can be dangerous due to the possibility of falling into depression and other mental illnesses.

Physiological aspect of human emotions

Human emotions are experienced at the physiological level. This is about the fact that the psyche is tightly connected with the body: they mutually influence each other. If I think that I am in danger, I will experience the emotion of fear, which will entail the following changes in the body :

1. all senses will become sharper - for example, dilated pupils are needed in order to better see space;
2. adrenaline will enter the bloodstream - a hormone that mobilizes the entire body and improves physical performance (endurance);
3. breathing quickens;
4. blood flow increases speed;
5. the heart speeds up;
6. blood pressure rises;
7. the stomach shrinks into a lump;
8. an attack of diarrhea, etc. is possible.

All these physiological changes are necessary so that I can escape, driven by the instinct of self-preservation, which screams at me: “Run! It's dangerous here! in response to my thought about the threat.

Thus, the body adapts to what we think and how we experience reality.

This is why it is important to maintain psychological hygiene: cultivate positive thinking , which entails positive emotions. A calm, peaceful body releases hormones of happiness and pleasure, does not get sick, and is able to heal itself.