Why it helps to know
An emotion is a signal: it tells you what matters to you right now and prepares the body to act. Naming an emotion accurately helps you understand what is going on and tell others about it. Emotions are not “good” or “bad” — they are pleasant or unpleasant, and what to do with them is up to you.
These are models, not the final truth: different authors list basic emotions differently. Here are two of the best-known approaches.
Six basic emotions
Psychologist Paul Ekman identified six emotions that people in different cultures recognize from facial expressions: joy, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and surprise. Here is one way to describe them.
Joy
It signals: something valuable is happening for you.
- In the body
- Lightness, warmth in the chest, a surge of energy, a smile.
- Pushes you toward
- To keep going, to share, to get closer.
Sadness
It signals: something important has been lost or is out of reach.
- In the body
- Heaviness in the chest, a lump in the throat, slowing down, tears.
- Pushes you toward
- To slow down, to seek support, to grieve the loss.
Fear
It signals: there is a threat or a risk.
- In the body
- Racing heart, tense muscles, cold hands, a clenched stomach.
- Pushes you toward
- To run, to freeze, to protect yourself or to prepare.
Disgust
It signals: something is unacceptable, physically or morally.
- In the body
- Nausea, a wrinkled nose, the urge to pull away.
- Pushes you toward
- To turn away, to keep your distance, to avoid.
Anger
It signals: a boundary has been crossed, something unfair has happened, or something is in the way of what matters.
- In the body
- Heat, a tense jaw and fists, a surge of strength.
- Pushes you toward
- To protect a boundary, to act, to push for what you want.
Surprise
It signals: something unexpected has happened.
- In the body
- Raised eyebrows, a sharp breath in, a moment of freezing.
- Pushes you toward
- To stop and turn your attention to the new.
Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions
Psychologist Robert Plutchik proposed a model of eight basic emotions. Each comes in different intensities, and neighboring emotions combine into more complex ones.
- Petals — eight basic emotions, each with its own color.
- Intensity grows toward the center: from the mild form (outside) to the strongest (in the middle).
- Opposites sit across from each other: joy — sadness, trust — disgust, fear — anger, surprise — anticipation.
- Combinations are labeled between the petals: for example, joy and trust together make love.
Click a petal or a combination name to see the details.
The labels on the wheel are small — you can pinch to zoom in.
All emotions on the wheel as a list
| Emotion | Mild → strong | Opposite |
|---|---|---|
| Joy | serenity → joy → ecstasy | Sadness |
| Trust | acceptance → trust → admiration | Disgust |
| Fear | apprehension → fear → terror | Anger |
| Surprise | distraction → surprise → amazement | Anticipation |
| Sadness | pensiveness → sadness → grief | Joy |
| Disgust | boredom → disgust → loathing | Trust |
| Anger | annoyance → anger → rage | Fear |
| Anticipation | interest → anticipation → vigilance | Surprise |
Combinations of neighboring emotions
- Love — joy + trust
- Submission — trust + fear
- Awe — fear + surprise
- Disapproval — surprise + sadness
- Remorse — sadness + disgust
- Contempt — disgust + anger
- Aggressiveness — anger + anticipation
- Optimism — anticipation + joy