What Human Emotion Am I?

Subjective Experience: In a lot of ways, emotions aren’t all that mysterious. Something in our external world occurs, and naturally, we have an internal, emotional reaction. This makes perfect sense. But our emotional lives are still subjective and at times, unpredictable. We don’t all cry, laugh, or tremble in response to the same things. If two people wake up to a rainy sky, one might feel disheartened—but another might feel calm.

Physiological Responses: Sometimes, our emotional processes are quantifiable and obvious. Our physical bodies clock and record feelings in clear ways—when you’re afraid, your heart beats faster. When you’re attracted to someone, your pupils might dilate. Not only are physiological responses generally observable in everyone, but they also reveal our internal emotions.

Basic Emotions: Psychologists recognize 6 basic, automatic emotions universally tied to recognizable facial expressions. They are: joy, sadness, surprise, fear, disgust, and anger. The fact that they’re universal implies that these emotions are evolutionary and in some ways, have helped humans survive as a species.

How exactly do we experience emotions? Psychologists are still debating. Generally speaking, there are 5 famous theories of emotions.

James-Lange Theory: This theory hypothesizes that physiological reactions (fast heartbeat, quick breathing) happen first. Then, this stimulates the autonomic nervous system—which creates what we mentally interpret as an emotion.

Facial-Feedback Theory: The facial-feedback theory claims that emotions are majorly impacted by facial expressions. A smile or a frown directly causes the corresponding feeling.

Cannon-Bard Theory: This theory suggests that physiological and emotional reactions occur at the same time. After the external stimulus is registered, your physical body and your emotional control center receive messages independently and simultaneously.

Schachter-Singer Theory: The Schachter-Singer theory hypothesizes that we experience physiological reactions first. Then, registering those reactions, we try to label the response with an emotion (“Oh, my heart is beating fast. I must be scared”).

Cognitive Appraisal Theory: This theory suggests that thinking must always come before emotional or psychological reactions. So first, you contemplate your situation. Then, you decide how you feel—an emotional and physiological reaction then follows.