Every human being, from birth, experiences a series of emotions that help him to face, assimilate and behave during different situations, so the reactions of each emotion are particular to each individual.
In this sense, knowing and managing emotions is a process that each person develops through their personality, beliefs, character and lived experiences.
Basic emotions have the peculiarity of being innate and recognized worldwide, they also have elementary functions that are typical of each emotion, turning them into psychological, neural and physical processes in humans.
Therefore, in this article you will be able to know the basic emotions of every individual, their main characteristics and the means of expression of each of them.
What are basic emotions?
According to the American psychologistPaul Ekman, there are 6 basic emotions, these are: joy, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise and fear.
In this sense, Ekman was interested in investigating the basic emotions that every healthy human physically, mentally, psychologically and cognitively, must experience throughout his life, highlighting that emotions are biological, sudden and some considered uncontrollable.
Therefore, basic emotions are the reactions that our body emits to a series of stimuli and the responses of each of them are closely linked to the upbringing and personality of each individual.
However, the psychologist emphasizes that the facial expressions that emerge from each basic or secondary emotion are of intercultural origin, that is, they are used and known around the world.
Characteristics of basic emotions
Due to the diversity of functions that arise from basic emotions, they have a series of characteristics that make them even more important for the correct development of an individual and its relationship with society.
They are specific expressions of the face and body
An Investigation carried out by the Faculty of Psychology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico revealed that all individuals have a certain ability to recognize facial and body expressions derived from emotions.
The study certifies that the expressions made by humans are universal and culturally specific, that is, they can be recognized by people of different cultures.
However, the researchers claim that it was more difficult for the study subjects to determine the emotions of sadness and fear of other people, based on their bodily expressions, while joy, surprise and disgust are the most evident.
In this sense, emotions are often expressed in different ways, anger, for example, stimulates blood flow to the face, causing the person to blush, while happiness makes the person smile and make expressions with their eyes.
Coordinate human behavior and reactions
Basic emotions make the human being capable of reacting to all types of situations, whether negative, positive or surprising, therefore, they are responsible for some behaviors that the individual has, whether acquired or innate.
It is important to note that the reactions of every human being have a pattern within society where good or bad behaviors are differentiated.
So, psychologically, if an individual has a very marked and constant emotion in particular, he may be going through some psychological process that is altering his personality.
They arise with the natural development of the human being
Basic emotions are developed throughout the growth of the human being, they appear and are noticed from childhood to the final cycle of life, this is how they are considered a fundamental element for the development of each personality.
For example, children at an early age are often surprised by the unknown since they begin an exploratory stage and new knowledge, this occurs with all emotions, each individual experiences and feels them in their own way.
They are genetic, innate and universal.
The particularity of basic emotions is that they can be recognized without the need for verbal or written expressions, this is how a smile denotes joy and tears sadness, it is a language known and understood by all human beings.
On the other hand, when talking about genetics, it refers to the fact that some people tend to feel emotions more sensitively than others, in part, this is due to the temperaments and hormonal loads of each individual.
Allow survival and adaptation to the environment
This is especially the case with emotions that tend to keep you on constant alert when your central nervous system determines that you are in danger.
Emotions such as fear, disgust and anger are the sensations that particularly make people more aware of their surroundings, they help us make specific decisions as part of adapting to the environment in which they find themselves.
For its part, fear tends to paralyze some people, this can be beneficial or contradictory for the individual, depending on the context.
However, it is important that you know that it is only an intuitive reaction of your body in the face of an adverse situation.
They differ from feelings
To differentiate emotions from feelings, you must bear in mind that emotions are the body’s psychophysiological responses to a situation, while feelings are the interpretation of said emotions.
That is, each individual first experiences an emotion and from there the feeling unfolds as the case may be.
For example: when a woman is asked to marry, she first feels surprised or happy, which would be the emotions, then she experiences feelings of affection or love.
they are contagious
One of the most contagious emotions is joy, this is because laughter can be a behavior adopted by other people sometimes without knowing what really generates it.
However, emotions considered negative can also be contagious, one individual can instill fear or anger towards another, this depends on how capable you are of controlling your emotions.
they are unpredictable
As they are psychophysiological reactions, it is very difficult for you to know what emotion you will feel at a certain moment, certain things may cause you fear instead of surprise, everything will depend on how your body reacts to external stimuli.
In fact, the expression of emotions is evident in both animals and humans, since living beings are capable of experiencing fear, surprise and contempt in any type of situation and that helps us recognize danger and adversity.
They are classified into primary and secondary
There are two ways of classifying emotions, some are considered primary and others secondary.
The primary ones are characterized because the body adapts to them, that is, when experiencing them for the first time the brain already knows when this emotion will develop in future situations.
While the secondary ones are the reaction that emerges after experiencing a basic emotion, it is the body’s reaction to avoid or defend itself at any given moment, these can be pride, satisfaction or contempt.
Basic emotions and their functions
ToStudy carried out by the Department of Basic Psychology of the University of Valencia , Spain, reveals that basic emotions have three functions, these are: adaptive functions, social functions and motivational functions.
The first function has great relevance thanks to the fact that it is the one that is in charge of adapting the human being to the situation he is going through, that is, the emotion, whatever it may be, prepares the organism to behave in a certain way. or other.
Continuing with the social functions, they deal with the bodily expressions that the body emits when feeling a certain emotion, this serves to make it easier to perceive the feelings that each person feels.
While, the motivational functions are derived from the motivation in congruence with the emotions, this means, the degree of intensity that each individual feels and expresses the emotions.
For these reasons, below you will be able to know the main emotions that the human being can experience and the functions of each one:
Happiness
Feeling joy means that you experience a state of well-being and satisfaction with yourself, for what you do or for another person, it also means that you have achieved a goal and your expectations were correct.
Joy causes your breathing and heart rate to increase and its function is to make you positive, creative, free, curious and it can improve mental abilities, which is why it is one of the best emotions that every human being can experience.
Sadness
The emotion that is experienced when something important or vital for the individual is lost is known as sadness, this feeling is also reflected when the individual goes through painful, traumatizing, disappointing situations or feels helpless.
Sadness has the function of making the individual resilient, that is, adapting him to the situation so that he overcomes it, connects with himself and moves forward, however, the prolonged moods around this emotion can develop depression.
Fear
Fear manifests itself when the body feels threatened by any adverse situation or pain, especially if it represents an emotional or physical risk for the person experiencing it.
This emotion is considered one of those that mostly causes behavioral and psychological disorders, so feeling fear accelerates heart rate, induces excessive sweating and, in extreme cases, can cognitively paralyze a person.
The function of fear for humans is to assess certain situations as dangerous and keep the body on alert when the nervous system believes that you are in danger.
Surprise
Surprise occurs immediately when observing, perceiving or going through a certain situation unexpectedly.
In this sense, the mind goes blank momentarily while the brain processes what is happening, blood pressure increases and an environment of uncertainty is created for what will happen after the central nervous system processes the information.
The particular function of this emotion is that it vanishes instantly when the brain assimilates what is happening and gives way to other emotions, as the case may be.
Aversion
This emotion is due to the feeling of rejection or disgust to anything, which for the human being is unpleasant, it should be noted that an individual can also feel this emotion towards another person or animal.
The function of aversion is to move away almost intuitively from whatever is causing the negative stimulus. In terms of everyday situations, aversion can make you feel anxious and uncertain to the point of affecting you physically and mentally.
Disgust
Disgust is the physiological emotional response of the organism when it observes, smells, touches or consumes a substance or object that is not to its liking.
This emotion can connote displeasure towards what is perceived by any of the 5 human senses, so that this sensation can cause gastrointestinal disorders or muscle stiffness.
For its part, the function of disgust is to warn the brain receptors that you should get away from the object that caused you the feeling of discomfort, since it can be harmful to your health or is not considered healthy from your perception.
Wrath
Anger is the maximum degree of anger that a person can feel, it is because this feeling is expressed when the individual feels offended, irritated or wronged by a specific situation.
According to an article published by the gazette of the National Autonomous University of Mexico , anger can be beneficial for the brain due to the chemical reaction and the stimulus that this emotion provides in the organism and the central nervous system.
In this sense, the study reveals that anger makes a person react and increases the levels of Norepinephrine , which is the hormone that accelerates the heart rate and raises blood pressure, in addition, it decreases the release of Vasopressin and serotonin .
The function of anger for the human being is to keep him in constant alert, generates competitiveness, increases breathing and increases blood flow, however, constant states of anger can develop psychological and cardiovascular pathologies.
Fault
It refers to the state of imputation that a person creates with himself for some reaction, expression or act committed, however, guilt is also defined as the fact that is caused by another situation or thing in particular.
The function of this emotion linked to the degrees of responsibility and regret that a person feels after having committed unhealthy acts, that is, it is the psychological way of admitting that they have been wrong.
Importance of basic emotions
The role of emotions for the psychosocial , emotional and cognitive development of the human being is elementary, since they define to a certain extent the personality, moods, strengthen affective ties and demonstrate disappointments.
In other words, the basic emotions make it possible for each individual to experience the different sensations caused by the different situations that a person goes through throughout his life.
The importance of emotions lies in being able to relate, knowing how to face and act in the face of positive or negative events, likewise, they are a fundamental stimulus for one’s own reactions in each situation that arises.
University Professional in the area of Human Resources, Postgraduate in Occupational Health and Hygiene of the Work Environment, 14 years of experience in the area of health. Interested in topics of Psychology, Occupational Health, and General Medicine.