Happiness, sadness, anger, hurt, disgust, and fear these are some of the emotions that we all go through almost everyday. But there is a lot going on behind our emotions. Follow this article to learn more about why emotions are paramount for us and what are some of the basic emotions we all experience.
Emotions are important for each and everyone of us. It is a way for us to convey our thoughts and feelings with others. It is a supreme way of communication. Your emotions have a huge role to play in your everyday life. It helps you understand people around you and it also helps you in understanding yourself. Although sometimes it can be difficult for a person to fathom their emotions sometimes. Emotions are intricate and it is not easy to handle your emotions sometimes.
No matter how intricate our emotions are, they are equally paramount for us too. If a person has difficulty in expressing their emotions or they have no emotions whatsoever then, it can have a negative impact on every aspect of their life. Your work, your personal life, and most importantly your relationship with your partner, your family, and your friends will suffer because of you having no emotions. Although there are many emotions that a person might feel, the basic emotions are anger, fear, sadness, happiness, and disgust as we know it.
Follow this article to explore more about why emotions are paramount for us and what are some basic emotions we all experience.
Table of Contents
Why are emotions paramount for us?
As we know that emotions play a major part in our lives. Every aspect of our life is directly linked with our emotions. Your work life, your relationship with your partner, your family, and your friends each and everything depends on your emotions. Having emotions is a blessing for us, it can help us understand others and it can also help in communicating our thoughts and feelings. Following are the reasons why emotions are paramount for us.
- They give us energy
- They help us connect more with ourselves
- Having emotions can resolve anything
- It helps us surround ourselves with positive energy
They give us energy:
Emotions play a supreme role in our lives. It gives us energy to deal with a lot of things. Having emotions will help you look at things from a different perspective and you will always give your decisions a second thought before implying them. It helps us connect more with people and socialize with them. If we do not have emotions then, we will not be able to face the world as we won’t understand the people.
They help us connect more with ourselves:
Emotions are intricate but they are also important for us to live a normal life. As much as emotions help us understand others, they also help us connect more with ourselves. Your emotions can help you make decisions and have a stable and healthy life. Every aspect of your life depends on your emotions. When you are able to understand others, you will also be able to understand yourself.
Having emotions can resolve anything:
Emotions can help you understand things from a different perspective. It can help you understand other people as well. So, when you are in an argument then, having emotions can make it easy for you to understand the other person better. Emotions will help you think twice before you say something and it will also help you look at things from the other person’s perspective.
It helps us surround ourselves with positive energy:
A person who has emotions will be able to socialize more and they will also surround themselves with positivity. It is a blessing to have emotions and to be able to control them. Being able to balance your emotions will make you have a stable and healthy life.
What are the components of emotions?
If you ever wonder where our emotions come from then, you must know that there are three components of emotions that help us in our daily life. Every component has its own function, following are the three components of emotions.
- Subjective component
- Physiological component
- Expressive component
Subjective component:
Devery emotion that we experience begins from a subjective component. It is the first stage of our emotions. The range of these emotions are not very high but the emotions we feel at this stage can invoke many other emotions. But what other emotions a person feels totally depends on them. For example, if a family loses a loved one then, people might feel different emotions. One will feel anger and regret, the other might feel sad.
Physiological component:
The physiological component of emotions is when emotions take over your nervous system. Your heart starts to beat faster and your body goes into a fight or flight mode. These emotions usually occur when you are in a situation outside of your comfort zone. In this component your facial expressions play a major role. Your emotions are clearly expressed through your facial expressions.
Expressive component:
Expressive component shows our behavioral response towards our emotions. How we act when we feel our emotions comes from an expressive component. How we act when we are angry, sad, hurt, happy, disgusted, or surprised. Our behavior comes from how we choose to express our emotions.
What are some of the basic emotions we all experience?
There are many emotions that we feel but there are some basic emotions that are a part of our lives almost everyday. We experience these basic emotions in our day to day life and these emotions influence every aspect of our life. Following are some of the basic emotions we all experience.
- Anger
- Fear
- Sadness
- Disgust
- Happiness
- Surprise
Anger:
Anger is a basic emotion and it appears when a person feels abused or neglected. It also makes an appearance when a person thinks that they are being misunderstood and no one is listening to them. When someone is unfair to you or disrespects you in any way then, you will feel angry at the situation and at them. Your facial expressions will change and your muscles will be tense. Your jaw and shoulder muscles will be tense and you will be in an upright position.
Fear:
It is one of the basic emotions that we feel. It occurs when a person is outside of their comfort zone or in an unfamiliar environment. A person will experience fear when they have no idea about their surroundings and they do not have any familiar person with them at the moment. Their body will immediately go into a flight or fight mode and their senses will be on high alert. Even the slightest noise or change will alert them. They will be uneasy and their blood pressure will continue to rise with high heartbeat.
Sadness:
Sadness is an emotion that occurs when you lose something or someone important to you. It occurs when a person is feeling low and miserable. The main expression of sadness is isolation. A person who is sad will start to isolate himself from the world for sometime. It is one of the ways known to a human to deal with sadness. A person’s mind will stop comprehending things when they are sad, they will jot be able to think about things clearly and they might not be able to socialize much.
Disgust:
Disgust is an emotion which a person feels when they experience something unpleasant or when they are with someone they do not like. This emotion will also have facial changes. When a person is disgusted by something around them then, their expressions will change. Their muscles will be tense, they will frown again and again, and their teeth will be clenched. If you experience this emotion because of your environment then, there is a possibility that you start feeling sick, you will feel nauseated and dizzy.
Happiness:
Happiness is an extremely positive emotion. It is a feeling of satisfaction and love. When a person is comfortable and they feel loved and appreciated in their surroundings then, they will be happy. When a person is happy their eyes will shine and their muscles will be relaxed. They will lean back and sit comfortably. They will feel warm inside and it will be a blissful experience for them. Their mind will be at peace and their senses will be relaxed, knowing that they are not in danger.
Surprise:
Surprise is an emotion that can be both negative and positive. The duration of this emotion might be short but it can have a strong impact on a person. It occurs when a person experiences something that he/she was not expecting at all. It is an unforeseen event that they are now a part of. Whether a person takes it negatively or positively, it totally depends on the news and the person.
What are some other emotions that a person experiences?
Aside from the basic emotions, there are also some other emotions that we experience every once in a while. These emotions are also known as secondary emotions and they do not occur daily nor their appearance affects our routine deeply. Following are some other emotions that a person experiences.
- Love
- Guilt
- Shame
- Embarrassment
- Pride
- Envy
- Jealousy
Love:
Love is a positive secondary emotion that we all have experienced once in our life. It occurs when we are fond of someone or when we like someone so much that we want to spend our entire time with them. Love is an emotion that often makes a person feel territorial about the other person.
Guilt:
Guilt is also a secondary emotion that comes from sadness and anger. When you are angry with someone you may say or do things that you do not mean then, you will feel guilty after sometime. This emotion is often considered as a positive emotion because a person is reflecting on what they did wrong and they are sorry for how they behaved when they were angry or sad.
Shame:
Shame is an emotion that occurs when a person is hesitant about their mistakes and they are guilty about their behavior. They are ashamed of themselves and they want to say they are sorry but they do not have the courage to face the other person.
Embarrassment:
Embarrassment occurs when a person is in a situation where they do something that is out of character for them. This is an emotion where a person does some self reflection on their behavior and that is when they realize how badly they behaved before. This emotion is mostly considered positive.
Pride:
Pride is an emotion where a person has achieved something that they always desired. This emotion is positive and the person will feel blissful after their accomplishment. But there is a possibility that this emotion can turn into negative emotion, if a person starts to act entitled and lose themselves in their emotion. You have to be very careful with your emotions and control them according to the social norms.
Envy:
Envy is an emotion that occurs when you see someone get something good. This emotion may not harm someone initially but envy can also invoke the feelings of hatred and jealousy in a person. If you ever feel envious of someone then, try to turn this emotion into something positive and work hard so you can also accomplish your goals.
Jealousy:
Jealousy is an emotion that occurs when a person is envious. Jealousy can also encourage the feelings of hatred and anger in a person. Jealousy is an ordinary emotion but it is in the hand of a person if they allow it to turn into something more. You can use this jealousy as a motivation factor and try to accomplish things you like.
How can you control your emotions?
It is important for you to understand and control your emotions before it is too late. If your emotions are not balanced and you have no control over them then, it will directly impact every aspect of your life. Following are some ways through which you can control your emotions.
- Meditation
- Writing a journal
- Talking to a professional
- Spending some time alone
Meditation:
Meditation can help a person to be more aware of their emotions and feelings. It can help you think about things from a different perspective. It will also make you more mindful about certain things. You will be more careful when expressing your emotions. Meditation will also decrease your chances of overthinking.
Writing a journal:
This is one of the best ways to deal with your emotions. Whenever you think that you are not able to talk about your emotions with anyone then, you can always write your feelings. What you cannot share with anyone else, you can write about those emotions in your journal. This will help you in controlling your emotions.
Talking to a professional:
If you ever feel like your emotions are getting out of control and you have no idea how to handle yourself and your emotions then, the best thing for you to do is to consult a professional. Go for counseling and psychotherapy, this will help you understand your emotions and come to terms with them. You will feel the changes in your emotions and it will also help you reevaluate your feelings and emotions.
Spend some time alone:
It is always best if you spend some time alone. This will give you a chance to self assess everything that has happened so far in your life and you will be able to think deeply about your feelings and emotions. You will be able to give a second thought to your emotions which can impact your decisions.
Conclusion:
Emotions play a huge role in your life. It determines the way we live our lives. We all know how paramount it is to have emotions but we must also know how to control our emotions before it gets too late. We all experience emotions daily and these emotions have a direct impact on how we live our lives. Every basic emotion can also invoke secondary emotions that can also impact our lives.
Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and surprise are the basic emotions that we experience almost everyday. But these emotions can also invoke other emotions like love, guilt, jealousy, envy, embarrassment, and pride. Having emotions is not a bad thing in fact, it is the most important thing. But losing control over your emotions is something to worry about. You must learn to control your emotions so you can live a healthy and stable life.
