The Emotional Landscape
Core Emotions and Their Related Feeling Words
Anger ManagementInfographicFree Resource
The Emotional Landscape
Core Emotions and Their Related Feeling Words
Emotions can be organized into a small number of core categories, each containing a range of related feeling words that vary in intensity and nuance. Expanding your emotional vocabulary helps you identify what you are experiencing with greater precision, which supports more effective communication and self-regulation.
Joy
Content, cheerful, pleased, elated, excited, grateful, relieved, proud, satisfied, delighted
Sadness
Down, disappointed, hopeless, lonely, grief-stricken, regretful, empty, melancholy, dejected, sorrowful
Anger
Annoyed, frustrated, irritated, resentful, enraged, offended, bitter, contemptuous, hostile, indignant
Fear
Anxious, worried, nervous, frightened, terrified, panicked, apprehensive, uneasy, dread, alarmed
Disgust
Repulsed, revolted, appalled, nauseated, aversion, distaste, loathing, sickened, put off, horrified
Surprise
Astonished, amazed, startled, stunned, shocked, bewildered, speechless, taken aback, overwhelmed, disbelief
Building a richer emotional vocabulary helps you move from 'I feel bad' to a precise understanding of your inner experience.
All emotions serve a purpose. Even uncomfortable feelings carry important information about your needs and values.
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