How to Understand Your Emotions

Emotions are ever-present in our lives. You feel joy when laughing with a close friend or fear when encountering a dangerous dog. However, emotions are not merely subjective experiences; they also encompass many other aspects. You can learn more about understanding your emotions. In recent years, scientists have shed light on the nature of emotions—how different emotions emerge, how they influence our behavior, and their impact on the body and mind. Understanding your emotions is an excellent effort to enhance your ability to control both your feelings and actions.

Understand the origin of emotions. Emotions are default reactions shaped by evolution, allowing you to navigate life in ways that were often adaptive in the past and perhaps still exist today.

• For example, the emotion of fear evolved over time. When our ancestors, who experienced fear, saw a steep cliff, they were cautious about approaching it. Those who were more cautious had a higher chance of survival compared to those who didn’t fear it. The fearful ones lived longer to pass on their genes, and their descendants inherited the fear response.
• Evolution occurs with both negative emotions, like fear, and positive emotions, like happiness. Negative emotions prevent people from taking dangerous or costly actions, while positive emotions encourage them to engage in beneficial activities.

Learn about basic emotions. Most psychologists agree that humans possess a group of 'basic emotions' including: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. Researchers have gradually added contempt, pride, shame, love, and anxiety to the list of emotions. There may be more basic emotions, but the extent of their commonality or cultural dependence is still debated.

Understand the role of emotions. Emotions play a crucial part in our survival, development, and ability to make sound decisions. All emotions—even negative ones—help us navigate our lives. For example, imagine waking up in the morning without feeling embarrassed, ashamed, or anxious about social interactions. Generally, you wouldn’t care about your behavior in front of others. In this case, you might end up without any friends if you don’t consider your behavior around them. Emotions help us connect with others.

Recognize the impact of emotions on decision-making. Emotions play a significant role in our decision-making abilities. They signal the value or persuasive power of information, influencing our decisions in some way. Numerous studies have shown that damage to certain areas of the brain associated with emotions can impair decision-making and, in some cases, diminish a person's ability to act ethically. One of the most famous cases is Phineas Gage (PG). While working, PG was impaled by a metal rod through his skull, damaging part of his brain responsible for processing emotions. Miraculously, PG survived the accident, but he was no longer the same person. A significant change in his personality occurred—he became indifferent or displayed inappropriate emotions, made poor decisions, and caused discomfort for others. This behavioral change was largely due to the injury to the area of his brain related to emotions.

Understand that emotions can be disrupted. Just as you may experience kidney or eye dysfunction, your emotions can also be disrupted. If you feel your emotions are disordered, consult a psychologist for appropriate treatment. Some common emotional disorders, or mental health conditions that affect emotions, include: Depression, which involves persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest; Anxiety disorders, characterized by excessive and prolonged worry about everyday events; Schizophrenia, which involves a lack of emotions or an irritability or depression in mood; Hypomania, a state of extreme mood swings, often associated with bipolar disorder, where a person experiences a period of intense energy and irritability.

Take note when emotions arise. When you notice your emotions rising along with specific sensations, jot them down for further study. To gain a deeper understanding of the emotions you encounter and the triggers behind them, record the moments you feel these emotions and the factors you believe may have caused them. For example, you might recall feeling angry just before realizing you had to wait 15 minutes in line to buy lunch, which you dislike. You can use this information to either amplify or reduce emotions you want or don’t want in your life. For instance, if you know that waiting in line frustrates you, you might choose to buy one or two items at a supermarket for priority checkout.

Understand the feeling of each type of emotion. It's clear that different emotions bring different sensations. While it’s obvious that negative emotions differ from positive ones, even among negative emotions, the feelings can vary. Shame is different from sadness, which is different from fear.

Understand the feeling of anger. Anger arises when someone treats you unfairly in some way. This emotion acts as a deterrent to prevent them from doing the same in the future. Without anger, others would continue to exploit you.

• Anger can sometimes manifest from the back of the shoulders, moving up along the neck, around the jaw and head.
• When angry, you might feel hot and disoriented.
• If you notice tension, pain, or heaviness in your back, neck, and jaw, you're likely feeling anger deep inside.

Understand the feeling of disgust. Disgust is a response to stimuli that provoke revulsion, often making us physically uncomfortable. This emotion evolved to protect us from things that could be harmful. It also occurs when we perceive acts that violate moral standards.

• Disgust is often experienced in the stomach, chest, and head. You may feel queasy or nauseous and just want to cover your nose and move away from the source of revulsion.

Understand the feeling of fear. Fear is a response to potential danger, such as wild animals, heights, or guns. This emotion helps us stay away from these dangers in the moment and avoid them in the future. Although fear is an evolved emotional reaction, what causes fear is accumulated through experience.

• Fear is generally felt in the upper body. However, for fear of heights, the sensation is often in the legs.
• When afraid, your heart races and you begin to breathe rapidly, your palms sweat, and you feel warm as part of your nervous system becomes highly active. This is the fight-or-flight response.

Khám phá cảm giác hạnh phúc. Hạnh phúc là phản ứng trước những điều thường có liên quan đến việc tồn tại, phát triển, và di truyền cho thế hệ sau. Một số điều khiến chúng ta hạnh phúc bao gồm tình dục, có con, đạt được thành công với mục tiêu có giá trị, được người khác khen thưởng và được chào đón.

• Mặc dù hạnh phúc có lẽ là một trong những cảm xúc dễ nhận biết hoặc được biết đến nhiều nhất, nhưng đây cũng là một trong số các cảm xúc khó định nghĩa nhất. Hạnh phúc có thể là cảm giác ấm áp lan tỏa trên toàn cơ thể hoặc có thể bao gồm sự mãn nguyện, an toàn, hoặc sống một cuộc sống yên vui.

Nhìn lại cảm giác buồn bã. Buồn bã là phản ứng trước sự mất mát mà chúng ta quan tâm. Đây là cảm xúc rất đau đớn, và có thể giúp chúng ta tránh gặp phải mất mát trong tương lai hoặc trân trọng những gì chúng ta có lại sau mọi khó khăn (ví dụ như người yêu).

• Buồn bã thường hình thành từ ngực và tiến dần lên cổ và mắt, khiến chúng ta khóc. Có thể bạn đã nghe ai đó nói "Cô ấy nghẹn ngào". Cho phép bản thân được khóc là cách để giải tỏa tâm sự trong lòng. Việc chú ý đến cảm giác về mặt thể chất tại những vùng này và cho phép nguồn năng lượng được lan tỏa sẽ giúp chúng ta bộc lộ nỗi buồn sau mất mát và đồng cảm với nỗi đau của người khác.

Cảm nhận sự ngạc nhiên. Ngạc nhiên là phản ứng xuất hiện trước một điều gì đó bất ngờ nhưng không phải là mối nguy hại. Đây là cảm xúc khá thú vị vì sự trung tính khi so sánh với các loại cảm xúc khác vốn có xu hướng thiên về tích cực hoặc tiêu cực. Sự ngạc nhiên có tác dụng chuyển hướng sự chú ý đến những điều mới lạ.

• Cảm giác ngạc nhiên được cảm nhận chủ yếu tại phần đầu và ngực. Đó là phản ứng trước yếu tố nằm ngoài mong đợi và khiến bạn hơi choáng.

• Trải nghiệm về mặt cảm xúc chỉ tồn tại trong một khoảng thời gian ngắn, nhưng tâm trạng có thể sẽ kéo dài. Ví dụ, nếu bạn nhận thấy bản thân đang sợ hãi, hãy nhớ rằng cảm giác sẽ nhanh chóng qua đi.
• Lưu ý, cảm xúc dù tiêu cực là phản ứng bình thường của con người và trong nhiều trường hợp, cảm xúc có thể sẽ khá hữu ích với bạn.