What are feelings: types and examples

Throughout human life, feelings are almost obligatory , since they are the way to react to any stimulus or situation, just as they are part of our way of understanding life. In addition, experiencing feelings or feeling them as such, is what really brings essence to the human being. But did you know that there are different types of feelings? Do not stop reading until the end to know every detail.

By learning about feelings, from their typology, reason or motives, you will be able to properly understand what you feel, but also how the people around you experience it, which will help a lot in the personal relationships that are established, as well as provide well-being, better self-esteem , among other factors.

What are feelings?

It is about the state of mind that is generated through external stimuli, since the emotions are processed in the brain and give rise to the feeling. Which means that feelings are contextualized as clear and defined emotions , which will later determine a conscious state of mind.

From the point of view of psychology, feelings are part of the experiences that are created from emotions. So when the brain experiences an emotion from some external stimulus, it will give rise to the feeling.

What is the difference between feeling and emotion?

It is important to be clear that both processes are completely irrational depending on how they are perceived; so it can be explained that the emotion is represented in a fixed pattern. That is, once the stimulus is presented, the emotion will be there immediately.

But feelings are different because other processes intervene, such as the reflective one ; where the person can become aware of their state of mind, how they appear and what they are feeling.

The most important difference is that while the emotions are intense and have a rather short duration, the feeling, although less intense, remains for much longer .

Types of feelings

Feelings can lead to a variety of moods , so they have been divided between positive feelings and negative feelings, depending on the response they provoke in the body and the person who interprets it.

Positive feelings

They are those feelings that are pleasant, since they generate well-being and even satisfaction in the person who perceives them. Therefore, experiencing such positive feelings helps maintain good emotional and even physical health, since stress levels are decreased . And last but not least, remove the presence of negative feelings.

Furthermore, its benefits are practically essential, since they provide greater flexibility to thoughts , increase creativity and the ability to solve problems; as well as serving as the ideal buffer against feelings that are negative.

Negative feelings

Unlike the positive ones, the feelings that are negative generate discomfort and displeasure in the person who feels them. However, even if the opposite is believed and it is confused with bad feelings, the negative ones turn out to be beneficial for the good development and personal progress of the human being , they end up being a fundamental tool for self-knowledge .

Of course, for this it is necessary to carry out a correct coordination of negative feelings, since these generate stress , anxiety and even anguish, physical health problems or depression.

What are feelings for?

According to various studies, 4 fundamental factors are taken into account to determine its social and emotional function in human beings.

1. They specify a subjective reality

Everything that the human being perceives, whether through another person, knowledge or what surrounds him, is supervised through feelings beforehand. From there are born the feelings that allow us to appreciate if something is known or rejected.

2. They indicate the mood

Feelings are presented as the quintessential indicator of people’s state, but not only of mood; but in all senses and levels, such as mental, economic, social, among others.

3. Demonstrate the values

Thanks to feelings, people can guide their behavior from one space to another; marking the path you want to follow. This allows determines how we want to act.

4. They allow better communication

This is possible by demonstrating how we feel, since we can communicate our feelings even without saying a single word. In addition, feelings help foster empathy , managing to understand how the other person feels, thus helping to better connect with those around us.

What are the positive feelings?

Remember that these feelings are those that generate positive things, as the name implies, that feeling of well-being; so it is normal to present desirable sensations and of great value for their incredible benefits.

Happiness

It is one of the feelings that has the greatest impact on people, since it is about the way in which people appreciate life and everything that surrounds them. So enjoying feelings of happiness goes hand in hand with developing creativity, empathy, and even learning. This feeling takes over the human being when he achieves something he wants.

Humor

It is experienced before the perception of something funny, which is generally accompanied by typical expressions such as a laugh or smile . Sure, the stimuli that generate this feeling can be very diverse, but it is almost always when you are in a social environment.

Love

It is nothing more than the affection that one feels for someone or something, be it another person, a pet or some object. But for each of those things to really generate that feeling of love, a subjective perception about it must be created .

Euphoria or joy

Thanks to this feeling , a good state of mind is experienced , since the person has a positive, optimistic and even constructive attitude towards any situation they face. Such joy or euphoria is present when something favorable happens or is believed to be the case, which is why it is highly subjective.

It is generally accompanied by a physical reaction such as a smile. However, it is a passing feeling, in most cases, since it occurs before a specific event, such as getting a job.

Hope or motivation

It is based on the belief that a person has to achieve what they want in life, be it a plan, objective or proposed goal. From there, the person with a feeling of hope has the ability to achieve what is proposed , according to their criteria.

But best of all, this feeling is a stimulus by nature , since it motivates and provides energy to achieve what you want, so it is necessary to have hope or to face a situation that you want to overcome.

Passion

Passion is a feeling that is directly related to love , which is why it is usually present before some stimulus of a sexual nature. However, it can also manifest itself in any area, such as; when doing a sports activity that you like a lot or playing your favorite musical instrument.

Satisfaction or gratitude

Another of the most valuable feelings for the proper development of human coexistence , since it is valued and is a show of appreciation for the favors or learning obtained. In general, it is usually responded with the same feeling towards the other person.

Fun

This feeling focuses on the need to spend time in an activity , moment or environment that is pleasant, and above all, contributes a lot of well-being.

Wellness

It is about the feeling that a person experiences when having good psychic and somatic levels in their organism.

Enthusiasm

It goes hand in hand with another feeling such as hope, since it serves as a natural motivation to face an event or planning that leads to a specific goal.

What are the negative feelings?

Like positive feelings, negative feelings, although they hide certain weaknesses that we would not like to experience, such aspects are essential for good personal development ; so it is necessary to learn to live with such feelings to get the most out of them.

Anger or hate

It is nothing more than dislike or annoyance towards someone or something, so it is generally a feeling caused by another person, something or even an unwanted space.

Go to

It is the response available to the human body to irritability when the person feels threatened or violated their rights. For this reason, symptoms such as crying usually appear, since the person affected by the feeling of anger feels cheated.

Afraid

It is presented in the presence of something dangerous or the presumption that it may appear at some point. Which means that such a feeling works perfectly as an alarm or warning signal about the possibility of a threat to integrity. It becomes a feeling when the person usually maintains certain fears as part of their personality.

Worry

The feeling of worry is very common to experience when a problem occurs and the methods to solve it are not yet known.

Sadness

Sadness is a feeling that responds to moments that are not pleasant, so that the person who experiences it has a desire to arrive, weakness and even low self-esteem. Generally, sadness can occur when there is a separation or physical loss of someone much appreciated, the failure of a goal or disappointment, thus becoming a grief. It becomes a feeling when it is anchored in the person.

Hostility

It is a feeling that can also be called resentment or indignation , which as a rule emerges with motor or verbal responses that startle the personal. In this sense, this feeling of hostility often occurs in violent people.

Guilt

Guilt is experienced before the belief of not having followed a parameter of personal, ethical and social norms already established and accepted by the person. So there are various ailments, but among them remorse of conscience. 

Stress

It is a feeling that refers to a mood that overwhelms and often despairs, since it is believed that a bad situation has positioned itself on the person, leaving them without options to overcome.

Frustration

Frustration comes to the surface when the person is not satisfied with something or someone , since they could not get what they really wanted or what they had been promised. Therefore, it is said that the higher the expectations of something, the greater the feeling of frustration that is experienced.

Outrage or hopelessness

It is nothing more than a feeling that the human being emerges in the face of an unpleasant situation or a person who does not offer him alternatives to modify or change the unpleasantness that he is facing, so he is unable to activate his own energies to take advantage of the situation. Given this, the person who experiences feelings of hopelessness or indignation, must be careful not to suffer from depression, since they tend to isolate themselves, present stress or maintain a poor physical condition.

Shame

It is that discomfort in the face of a current and real event, but that has humiliated or violated a person’s reputation . But it can also be experienced in advance, in the fear of making a fool of yourself in front of a group of known or unknown people.

Vulnerability

With vulnerability, other feelings such as insecurity , helplessness or fragility are also faced , managing to trigger a feeling on a large scale that is highly subjective, since each person can experience it in a different way.

Jealousy

It is a well-known feeling, which is represented by the suspicion of an unjustified deception or affection from one person to another, which is why it is a threat. Although jealousy is generally always taken within the scope of love or conventional affection, jealousy can also be represented by the religious or sports aspect.

Are there neutral feelings?

To the surprise of many, there are feelings that are neither positive nor negative, so they turn out to be completely neutral feelings; They are those that do not generate bad or good reactions, but do allow emotions to appear . To understand a little what they can be, pay attention below:

Compassion

It is that feeling that a person experiences when they feel pity or pity for another person who is suffering or is experiencing a not at all pleasant situation. In addition, compassion moves the person who feels it to act in wanting to help or accompany the other during their process , even when they do not know that person.

Surprise

It is the natural reaction of human beings and even of some animals to observe or feel something new , strange or unexpected, so the person concentrates on processing, analyzing and understanding the stimulus that caused such a reaction. So the stimulus turns out to be that surprise, which can be the delivery of a completely unexpected gift. Although it usually corresponds to an emotion, if this way of acting as part of the personality is prolonged in time, it can be the result of a feeling.

Examples of feelings

1. Receive an email where the boss indicates that we must work all weekend. What is the feeling? First, emotions such as anger will surely surface , but then sadness will surely appear for not being able to do the plan that we have already assigned, so perhaps impotence and frustration will emerge as a feeling.
2. Check social networks and find out that a friend held a party to which you were not invited. What is the feeling? First, the feeling of indignation may appear, then vulnerability when feeling that you have been deceived or disappointed for not having been invited.
3. A work meeting is held to notify you that you will be the new manager or director of an important area of ​​the company. What is the feeling? First, it could be a neutral feeling such as surprise, being something completely unexpected, but if it is something you did not want, that can generate stress and even a feeling of fear in the face of the new challenge that you will have to undertake. On the other hand, if it turns out to be good news, you will feel joy and excitement.

These are just a few examples of how feelings might manifest themselves in a person’s day-to-day life, whether at work, at home, or at school. The truth is that they are always present and there is no way to ignore them , since by processing the information, the context and the environment, the person will be able to determine how to face any situation that arises.

Do not forget that just as it is important to enjoy good feelings and pay attention to negative feelings, it is very important to take care of yourself if a bad feeling remains under your belt for much longer than normal.

If so, it is best to go to a medical specialist to carry out the relevant check-ups. Although without forgetting that such negative feelings are there for something, an indicator of what could be wrong , so do not prevent them from generating what they should produce to promote a correct and healthy social and emotional development; only with the ideal balance so as not to cause damage.

But in the opposite case, when experiencing positive feelings such as love, joy, hope, motivation, satisfaction, humor, among many more that we have been able to analyze, there is nothing to worry about, because having them present will allow you to enjoy good health , not only physical, but also mental and spiritual.

Therefore, do not hesitate to promote friendships, activities and environments that foster feelings of all kinds every day, and if possible, since this way you will feel even more alive without regrets and with a big smile .