![]() To tell if an emotion you’re feeling is primary or secondary, think about the timing. That’s where secondary emotions-which can be far more long-lasting-may come into play. Once cognition kicks into gear, the way you feel about something that happened may change. They usually reflect a more instinctive initial reaction, until our logical brain starts processing the event. They may also have an effect on body language and facial expressions, or may trigger other physiological responses. Typically, primary emotions are more transient than secondary emotions. For example, getting into a minor car accident might make you feel fear as a primary emotion, with annoyance about the other driver’s actions or remorse about your own as secondary emotions. According to this model, one of these eight always comes first, with any following emotions being classified as secondary. That said, one of the more popular theories is known as the Plutchik Model of Emotions, in which psychologist Robert Plutchik posits that there are eight primary emotions that can be paired into polar opposites: joy and sadness, anger and fear, trust and distrust, and surprise and anticipation. Human emotions are complex, and researchers don’t fully understand or agree on the details of where they come from or exactly how to classify them. Seek Clarity Through Online Therapy Primary Vs. In these situations, a therapist may be able to help an individual build a healthier relationship to their emotions. In still other cases, a mental illness like depression may cause distorted thought patterns, which can contribute to a person experiencing strong emotions that are based on a warped view of reality. For instance, past trauma may cause a person to have difficulty feeling and expressing emotions or to feel and express emotions that are out of proportion to events-known as emotional dysregulation. In other cases, however, experiencing emotions outside of what’s considered to be a typical or healthy range may be a sign of an underlying condition. In other words, some people may naturally feel some emotions with more or less intensity, which is not inherently problematic. For example, roughly 20% of humans fall into the category of “highly sensitive people”, which is “a trait associated with greater sensitivity and responsiveness to the environment and to social stimuli”. Some level of variance in this is perfectly natural. It’s important to note that people may feel different emotions with different levels of intensity. While the world we live in today doesn’t have the same risks as the world of our ancestors, emotions can still help us make sense of our surroundings and defend ourselves. Emotions helped humans stay safe enough to survive and evolve over time. Negative emotions, on the other hand, help warn us of potentially dangerous situations to avoid or be aware of in the future. That’s because these types of feelings activate the reward systems within the central nervous system, which helps us feel safe. Positive emotions are meant to encourage us to pursue the thought or situation that caused them again. Emotions help us understand and interpret what we’re experiencing. They typically occur when triggered by an internal thought, an external event, or a thought in response to an event. The term is a combination of the words “energy” and “motion”, which captures the often fleeting nature of human emotions. ![]() What Are Emotions, Exactly?Įmotions come from the Latin term emovere meaning “moving”. Learning about the different types of universal emotions-including primary and secondary emotions-can help. ![]() Many people struggle to understand the different emotional states they may experience and what causes them. The ability to feel emotions is part of what makes us human.
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