“Our emotions need to be as educated as our intellect. It is important to know how to feel, how to respond, and how to let life in so that it can touch you.” — Jim Rohn
On This Page
4 Basic Emotions List from William James
5 Primary Emotions List from Atlas of Emotions
7 Universal Emotions List from Dr. Paul Ekman
8 Emotions List from Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions
27 Emotions List from University of California, Berkeley
87 Emotions List from Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
154 Emotions List from the Book of Human Emotions
Master your emotions by mastering the language of your emotions.
This emotions list can help you build your emotional vocabulary and develop your emotional intelligence.
If you want to master your emotions, you need to start with your awareness.
You need to be able to identify and label your emotions, so an emotions list is a catalyst for your journey.
Building your emotional vocabulary is one of the greatest things you can do from a personal effectiveness and personal development standpoint to help you in all your adventures in work and life.
By learning the labels for emotions and building a better vocabulary for your emotions, you level up your life.
Level Up Your Life with an Emotions List
Jim Rohn believed when you build your vocabulary you level up your life.
You can improve your thought processes, articulation, and understanding through your vocabulary.
Jim Rohn emphasized working on your vocabulary because he believed it significantly improves your communication skills, leading to your personal and professional growth.
Rohn’s general principle was that expanding your vocabulary is a key component in achieving success and expressing yourself effectively.
The same holds true when it comes to recognizing your emotions, identifying your emotions, understanding your emotions, and expression your emotions.
You need an effective vocabulary for your emotions and you can learn that from various emotions list.
4 Basic Emotions List from William James
In 1890, William James proposed four basic emotions based on body involvement:
- fear
- grief
- love
- rage
5 Primary Emotions List from Atlas of Emotions
The “Atlas of Emotions” developed by Dr. Paul Ekman categorizes emotions into five primary groups:
- Anger: Branches into emotions like annoyance, frustration, exasperation, argumentativeness, bitterness, vengefulness, and fury.
- Disgust: Encompasses aversion, distaste, revulsion, and loathing.
- Enjoyment: Spans from sensory pleasure and relief to amusement, joy, ecstasy, and bliss.
- Fear: Includes trepidation, nervousness, anxiety, dread, desperation, panic, horror, and terror.
- Sadness: Covers emotions such as disappointment, discouragement, dismay, despair, sorrow, grief, and agony.
Emotions within the 5 Emotion Groups
Each primary emotion in this model leads to a range of specific feelings, providing a nuanced understanding of human emotional experiences. For a detailed exploration, you can visit the Atlas of Emotions website.
Anger
- Annoyance
- Frustration
- Exasperation
- Argumentativeness
- Vengefulness
- Fury
Enjoyment
- Sensory Pleasure
- Rejoicing
- Compassion/Joy
- Amusement
- Schadenfreude
- Relief
- Peace
- Fiero
- Price
- Naches
- Wonder
- Excitement
- Ecstasy
Disgust
- Dislike
- Aversion
- Distaste
- Repugnance
- Revulsion
- Abhorrence
- Loathing
Fear
- Trepidation
- Nervousness
- Anxiety
- Dread
- Desperation
- Panic
- Horror
- Terror
Sadness
- Disappointment
- Discouragement
- Distraughtness
- Resignation
- Helplessness
- Hopelessness
- Misery
- Despair
- Grief
- Sorrow
- Anguish
7 Universal Emotions List Based on Facial Expressions
Here are the 7 Universal Emotions based on Dr. Paul Eckman’s research:
- Anger
- Contempt
- Disgust
- Fear
- Happiness
- Sadness
- Surprise
Dr. Paul Ekman’s research revealed that some facial expressions of emotion are universal, while others are influenced by cultural context.
He found that certain emotions are expressed in similar ways across different cultures, demonstrating a universal aspect of facial expressions.
However, he also observed that the way these expressions are displayed can vary due to cultural norms and contexts.
This led to his concept of “display rules,” which are societal guidelines dictating when, how, and to whom we show our emotions. These rules are learned as we grow up, shaping our emotional expressions.
All the Feelz App Emotions List
All the Feelz app is an interactive emotion wheel you can use to identify how you feel and track your emotions over time.
Also known as a “feelings wheel”, you can use the wheel to identify and label your feelings, activate the parts of your brain that help you regulate your emotions. Keeping a record of these sessions, is an effective way to reveal long term emotional trends.
It looks like All the Feelz organizes their emotions list aligned with the 7 Universal Emotions from Dr. Paul Eckman’s research:
Here is how All the Feelz organizes their feelings wheel:
Angry
- Critical: Dismissive, Skeptical
- Distant: Withdrawn, Numb
- Frustrated: Annoyed, Infuriated
- Mad: Furious, Jealous
- Bitter: Indignant, Violated
- Humiliated: Disrespected, Ridiculed
- Let Down: Betrayed, Resentful
- Aggressive: Provoked, Hostile
Bad
- Tired: Sleepy, Unfocused
- Stressed: Overwhelmed, Out of Control
- Busy: Pressured, Rushed
- Bored: Indifferent, Apathetic
Disgusted
- Disappointed: Appalled, Revolted
- Awful: Nauseated, Detestable
- Repelled: Horrified, Hesitant
- Disapproving: Judgmental, Humiliated
Fearful
- Threatened: Nervous, Exposed
- Rejected: Excluded, Persecuted
- Weak: Worthless, Insignificant
- Insecure: Inadequate, Inferior
- Anxious: Worried, Agitated
- Scared: Frightened, Helpless
Happy
- Optimistic: Hopeful, Inspired
- Trusting: Sensitive, Intimate
- Peaceful: Thankful, Loving
- Powerful: Creative, Courageous
- Accepted: Respected, Valued
- Proud: Confident, Successful
- Interested: Curious, Inquisitive
- Content: Free, Joyful
- Playful: Aroused, Cheeky
Sad
- Lonely: Isolated, Abandoned
- Vulnerability: Victimized, Fragile
- Despair: Grief, Powerless
- Guilty: Ashamed, Remorseful
- Hurt: Disappointed, Embarrassed
- Depressed: Empty, Unimportant
Surprised
- Started: Shocked, Dismayed
- Confused: Disillusioned, Perplexed
- Amazed: Awe, Astonished
- Excited: Eager, Energetic
8 Emotions List from Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions
In 1980, Robert Plutchik diagrammed a wheel of eight emotions inspired by his Ten Postulates:
- anger
- anticipation
- disgust
- fear
- joy
- sadness
- surprise
- trust
27 Emotions List from University of California, Berkeley
According to Emoji fans take heart: Scientists pinpoint 27 states of emotion, a UC Berkeley study challenges a long-held assumption in psychology that most human emotions fall within the universal categories of happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear and disgust.
Using novel statistical models to analyze the responses of more than 800 men and women to over 2,000 emotionally evocative video clips, UC Berkeley researchers identified 27 distinct categories of emotion and created a multidimensional, interactive map to show how they’re connected.
Here are the 27 emotion categories according to the research team:
- Admiration
- Adoration
- Aesthetic Appreciation
- Amusement
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Awe
- Awkwardness
- Boredom
- Calmness
- Confusion
- Craving
- Disgust
- Empathic Pain
- Entrancement
- Excitement
- Fear
- Horror
- Interest
- Joy
- Nostalgia
- Relief
- Romance
- Sadness
- Satisfaction
- Sexual Desire
- Surprise
87 Emotions List from Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
Brene Brown shares 87 emotions and experiences we feel in her book Atlas of the Heart.
Brown also shares a free PDF of the 87 emotions list on a page.
I really like how Brown organized the emotions into sets of scenarios so we can talk about emotions and experiences in context.
Here is how Brown organizes the 87 emotions:
Places we go when things are uncertain or too much:
- Stress
- Overwhelm
- Anxiety
- Worry
- Avoidance
- Excitement
- Dread
- Fear
- Vulnerability
Places we go when we compare:
- Comparison
- Admiration
- Reverence
- Ency
- Jealousy
- Resentment
- Schedenfreude
- Freudenfreude
Places we go when things don’t go as planned:
- Boredom
- Disappointment
- Expectations
- Regret
- Discouragement
- Resignation
- Frustration
Places we go when it’s beyond us:
- Awe
- Wonder
- Confusion
- Curiosity
- Interest
- Surprise
Things aren’t what they seem:
- Amusement
- Bittersweetness
- Nostalgia
- Cognitive Dissonance
- Paradox
- Irony
- Sarcasm
Places we go when we’re hurting:
- Anguish
- Hopelessness
- Despair
- Sadness
- Grief
Places we go with others:
- Compassion
- Pity
- Empathy
- Sympathy
- Boundaries
- Comparative Suffering
Places we go when we fall short:
- Shame
- Self-Compassion
- Perfectionism
- Guilt
- Humiliation
- Embarrassment
Places we go when we search for connection:
- Belonging
- Fitting in
- Connection
- Disconnection
- Insecurity
- Invisibility
- Loneliness
Places we go when the heart is open:
- Love
- Lovelessness
- Heartbreak
- Trust
- Self-Trust
- Betrayal
- Defensiveness
- Flooding
- Hurt
Places we go when life is good:
- Joy
- Happiness
- Calm
- Contentment
- Gratitude
- Foreboding Joy
- Relief
- Tranquility
Places we go when we feel wronged:
- Anger
- Contempt
- Disgust
- Dehumanization
- Hate
- Self-Righteousness
Places we go to self-assess:
154 Emotions List from the Book of Human Emotions
Tiffany Watt Smith listed 154 different worldwide emotions and feelings in the Book of Human Emotions:
A
- Abhiman
- Acedia
- Amae
- Ambiguphobia
- Anger
- Anticipation
- Anxiety
- Apathy
- L’appel du vide
- Awumbuk
B
- Bafflement
- Basorexia
- Befuddlement
- Bewilderment
- Boredom
- Brabant
- Broodiness
C
- Calm
- Carefree
- Cheerfulness
- Cheesed (off)
- Claustrophobia
- Collywobbles, the
- Comfort
- Compassion
- Compersion
- Confidence
- Contempt
- Contentment
- Courage
- Curiosity
- Cyberchondria
D
- Delight
- Dépaysement
- Desire
- Despair
- Disappear, the desire to
- Disappointment
- Disgruntlement
- Disgust
- Dismay
- Dolce far niente
- Dread
E
- Ecstasy
- Embarrassment
- Empathy
- Envy
- Euphoria
- Exasperation
- Excitement
F
- Fear
- Feeling good (about yourself)
- Formal feeling, a
- Fraud, feeling like a
- Frustration
G
- Gezelligheid
- Gladsomeness
- Glee
- Gratitude
- Greng jai
- Grief
- Guilt
H
- Han
- Happiness
- Hatred
- Heebie-Jeebies, the
- Hiraeth
- Hoard, the urge to
- Homefulness
- Homesickness
- Hopefulness
- Huff, in a
- Humble, feeling
- Humiliation
- Hunger
- Hwyl
I
- Ijirashi
- Ilinx
- Impatience
- Indignation
- Inhabitiveness
- Insulted, feeling
- Irritation
J
K
L
- Liget[68]
- Litost
- Loneliness
- Love
M
- Malu
- Man
- Matutolypea
- Mehameha
- Melancholy
- Miffed, a bit
- Mono no aware
- Morbid curiosity
N
- Nakhes
- Nginyiwarrarringu
- Nostalgia
O
- Oime
- Overwhelmed, feeling
P
- Panic
- Paranoia
- Perversity
- Peur des espaces
- Philoprogenitiveness
- Pique, a fit of
- Pity
- Postal, going
- Pride
- Pronoia
R
- Rage
- Regret
- Relief
- Reluctance
- Remorse
- Reproachfulness
- Resentment
- Ringxiety
- Rivalry
- Road rage
- Ruinenlust
S
- Sadness
- Satisfaction
- Saudade
- Schadenfreude
- Self-pity
- Shame
- Shock
- Smugness
- Song
- Surprise
- Suspicion
T
- Technostress
- Terror
- Torschlusspanik
- Toska
- Triumph
V
- Vengefulness
- Vergüenza ajena
- Viraha
- Vulnerability
W
- Wanderlust
- Warm glow
- Wonder
- Worry
Z
Emotions List from Wikipedia
Wikipedia’s emotions list is also a good source of insight at a glance:
Emotion classification – Wikipedia
What I found especially helpful is the explanation of the multiple perspectives on how to label emotions and why they differ.
Master the Language of Emotions to Master Your Emotions
Mastering your emotions begins with mastering the language of emotions.
This emotion list is not just a tool; it’s a transformational journey towards heightened emotional intelligence.
By expanding your emotional vocabulary, you’re equipping yourself to better learn and express your feelings in both your personal and professional life.
Embrace your journey of self-awareness and expression.
Remember, as Jim Rohn highlighted, improving your vocabulary is a powerful step towards success.
Let this emotions list be your guide to a more articulate, insightful, and emotionally intelligent you.
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Your Thoughts Create Your Feelings
