The 6 basic emotions: characteristics and functions

We have the old habit, inherited from philosophy, of always confronting reason and emotions, as if the latter altered reasoning. We attribute to emotion that hedonic, transcendental and irrational character that makes us think that emotions are useless. But that is a serious mistake, Emotions play a very important role, they help us direct our behavior and act quickly. Among them, the most relevant are the 6 basic emotions: surprise, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and anger.

These 6 basic emotions appear during the natural development of any person regardless of the context in which they develop. In general, these are processes related to evolution and adaptation, which have an innate neural substrateuniversal and an affective state, which we could call feeling, associated.

Antonio Damasio, for his part, distinguishes between emotions and feelings. The famous Portuguese neuroscientist explains to us in his book The strange order of things that emotions are physical states that arise from the body’s responses to all the external stimuli that surround us. The feelings later appear in the form of mental states. Let’s see more data about these 6 basic emotions below.

The 6 basic emotions

It was during the 1970s when psychologist Paul Ekman identified 6 basic emotions which, according to their research, were a universal experience in practically all cultures.

This reference is the one we continue to use today, however, it should be said that recent studies, such as the one published in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, reveals that there would be up to 27 subtypes of emotions. They would basically be like an emotional spectrum included among the 6 basic emotions that we will detail below.

1. The surprise

Surprise can be defined as a reaction caused by something unexpected, novel or strange.. That is, when a stimulus appears that the subject did not contemplate in his or her plans or schemes. The subjective experience that accompanies it is a feeling of uncertainty along with a state in which the person has the sensation of having a blank mind.

Regarding physiological reactions, we find a slowing of heart rate and an increase in muscle tone and respiratory amplitude. In addition, a high tone of voice appears, along with spontaneous vocalizations.

The function of surprise is to empty working memory of all residual activity to cope with the unexpected stimulus.. Therefore, this state activates attentional processes, along with exploration behavior and curiosity. This emotion is frequently followed by another emotion that will depend on the quality of the unforeseen stimulus, thus showing its positivity (joy) or negativity (anger).

2. Disgust

Disgust is one of the basic emotions known since Charles Darwin’s work on animal emotion. This It is characterized by a feeling of repulsion or avoidance when faced with the possibility, real or imagined, of ingesting a harmful substance. that has polluting properties. The subjective sensation is a great dislike and a marked aversion to the eliciting stimulus.

The central physiological effects are the appearance of various gastrointestinal discomforts accompanied by nausea. Additionally, we observed an overall increase in activation; visible through increased heart and respiratory rate, skin conductance and muscle tension.

The adaptive function that disgust fulfills is to reject all those stimuli that may cause intoxication.. Nausea and discomfort help to avoid any ingestion that is harmful to the body. Furthermore, over time, this emotion has also taken on a social character, rejecting those social stimuli that are toxic to us.

Likewise, studies such as the one carried out by Valerie Curtis, doctor at the London School, and published in the journal Biological Sciences explains to us that disgust It is one of the most important emotions in humans and it evolved to facilitate the prevention of infectious diseases.

3. Fear

Fear is the most studied emotion in animals and humans. It is a negative or aversive emotional state with a very high activation that encourages avoidance and escape from dangerous situations.. The experience of it is a feeling of great tension along with a concern for one’s own safety and health.

The physiological correlates show us a rapid increase in activation and preparation for flight. Cardiac activity skyrockets and respiratory activity accelerates, producing shallow and irregular breathing.

Fear is an evolutionary legacy that has obvious survival value. This emotion is useful for us to prepare the body and produce escape or coping behaviors. to potentially dangerous stimuli. In addition, it facilitates the learning of new responses that remove the person from danger.

4. Joy

Joy is, of all the basic emotions, perhaps the most positive: it is directly associated with pleasure and happiness.. This appears, for example, in response to the resolution of some personal goal or the attenuation of a state of discomfort. Due to the way we manifest it, it may seem that it does not serve any function for our survival beyond being a mere reflection of our internal state.

However, joy is one of the systems the body has to encourage action. In addition, it serves as a reward for behaviors that are beneficial to oneself. When we perform an action that satisfies a goal, that is when joy is triggered, and thanks to this, that behavior will be repeated to relive that feeling of pleasure. It is perhaps the most natural reinforcer we have.

At a physiological level we find an increase in heart rate and a greater respiratory rate. Furthermore, in brain chemistry we find a greater release of endorphins and dopamine.

5. Sadness

Among the basic emotions, sadness is the one that embodies greater negativity. This emotion It is characterized by a decline in mood and a significant reduction in the level of cognitive and behavioral activity.. Despite the bad reputation that this emotion has, it performs functions that are equally or even more important than the rest of the basic emotions.

The function of sadness is to act in situations where the subject is helpless or cannot carry out any direct action to solve what upsets them, such as the death of a loved one. Thus, Sadness lowers the level of activity, with the aim of saving resources and preventing us from making unnecessary efforts.

In addition, it acts in a self-protective manner, generating a perceptual filter that focuses attention on oneself instead of the harmful stimulus. And most importantly, it encourages the search for social support that makes it easier for you to escape from the depressive situation.

6. Anger

Anger is the feeling that emerges when the person is subjected to situations that cause frustration or that are aversive.. The experience that arises from it is categorized as unpleasant, along with a feeling of tension that encourages us to act. It is a multifaceted emotion and in many cases ambiguous, because, depending on the situation, it can be seen as more or less justified or with a more or less identified object.

On a physiological level, we see in the body an excessive increase in activation and preparation for action. We observed an increase in cardiac activity, muscle tone and respiratory amplitude. In addition to a significant increase in adrenaline in the bloodwhich in turn will increase cognitive strain.

Anger has a clear evolutionary function, it provides us with the necessary resources to deal with a situation. frustrating. When we have to face a danger or overcome a challenge, that expenditure of resources to increase activation helps us achieve success. If even so, after the appearance of anger the objective is not achieved, that is when sadness will appear; to solve the problem through other tools.

The debate about emotions

Although this model is the most used, Ekman is not the only one who has categorized basic emotions. Depending on which authors are consulted, the number and conception of each of them varies.

A good example of this is the article published in 2013 in the magazine Current Biology, where neuroimaging techniques were used and stated that the 6 emotions that Ekman described could actually be 4. At an evolutionary level, disgust and anger, as well as surprise and fear, seem to come from the same root.

To conclude, whether they are of positive, negative or neutral valence, the truth is that The 6 emotions fulfill functions that favor our survival. On the other hand, they also carry the danger, due to their intensity, of taking control of our behavior. It is in these cases that emotional regulation is especially important, since it is what can remove the negative of this emotional hijacking from our vital rudder.