how many emotions?

During a day there will be many thoughts, feelings and moods (TFM) more or less virulently capturing conscious attention. Their purpose is to respond quickly to changes in the internal or external environments. This involves matching the new stimuli to successful materials held in long term memory.

It used to be thought that most emotions were hard wired in modules and networks and that appropriate stimuli could trigger them automatically. Various shorter or longer lists were hypothesised. A compiled list in Wikipedia includes:

Affection Anger Angst Anguish Annoyance Anticipation Anxiety Apathy Arousal Awe Boredom Confidence Contempt Contentment Courage Curiosity  Depression Desire  Despair Disappointment Disgust Distrust Ecstasy Embarrassment Empathy Enthusiasm Envy Euphoria Fear Frustration Gratitude Grief Guilt Happiness Hatred Hope Horror Hostility Humiliation Interest Jealousy Joy Loneliness Love Lust Outrage Panic Passion Pity Pleasure Pride Rage Regret Remorse Resentment Sadness Saudade Schadenfreude Self-confidence Shame Shock Shyness Sorrow Suffering Surprise Trust Wonder Worry

But - recent work by neurologists using various brain scanners, has failed to identify modules or networks as locations for particular emotions. It is also to be noted that there are many examples of different languages and cultures recognising and naming emotions unique to themselves. This suggests that individuals generate feelings and emotions on an ongoing process.

There are 56 items in the above list and only 17 are on the bright side. This suggests that the average person is two thirds gloomy and driven by the negativities (pessimists) and is one third on the bright side with a positive world view (optimists).

The neurologists have also given us; (a) the concept of neural plasticity whereby, if a part of the brain is damaged, the functions that it used to deal with are transferred to another location; (b) the concept of cognitive flexibility which results from there being billions of connections and thus of pathways between sensory inputs and reactions and responses and; (c) the notion of “use it or lose it” and the converse “use it a lot and make it stronger”.

The notion of flexible plasticity does not go down well with cultural fundamentalists who seek certainty and the inflexible ‘truth’. But it is a liberating notion for open-minded, would-be optimists who appreciate the Taoist notion that “the reality that can be described is not the real reality”.

Exercise:

1. Sit quietly for five minutes noticing the thoughts and feelings that pass through your attention centre
2. Write a list of as many of the items as you can remember
3. Repeat the above two steps at different times of day and in different social settings
4. Make a separate list of four main themes and emotions which appeared
5. Note the extent to which you are in control of what is going on in your head
6. What does the exercise suggest about the structure and function of your ‘I’ ?