what are the primary emotions?

Emotions are usually classified as primary and secondary. The first are innate, universal and fulfill an adaptive function; while the latter are learned and their expression depends on the context in which the person was educated.

Emotions are complex response patterns, which involve psychological, behavioral and physiological elements. Now, these are usually classified into primary and secondary emotions; being the first of innate character and universal expression. Therefore, they are present in the natural development of any person – regardless of the culture and society in which the person was educated – and their main objective is to help us survive.

The list of primary emotions varies according to different theorists.However, most of them agree that these include fear, sadness, anger, joy, surprise and disgust. Some add love and interest.

Likewise, they differ from secondary emotions in that the latter are learned, that is, we acquire them as we interact with others. These include shame, jealousy, optimism, etc.

“I am a vampire of primary emotions.”

-Albert Espinosa-

Characteristics of primary emotions

To better understand what primary emotions consist of, we present their defining characteristics:

They all have an adaptive function in a certain situation. For example, disgust helps us adopt healthier and more hygienic habits, while sadness allows us to recover from losses. They have an evolutionary and survival purpose.They have a certain facial and body expression. In this sense, the manifestation of surprise, for example, is the same in all cultures of the world (arched eyebrows, open mouth in the shape of an “O” and wide open eyes). They have had an essential role in the adaptation of the organism. to your environment.They are universalthat is, there is no culture that does not manifest them.They are present from birth.They last throughout life.

8 primary emotions

As we already said, there are different theories about what the primary emotions are, in some cases pointing out five, in others eight, depending on the author. Nevertheless, Each primary emotion provokes a set of adaptive reactionsand below we will see the most obvious ones:

Read Also: Are human beings intrinsically good or bad?

1. Fear

It is the emotional response to an imminent danger, therefore, the blood is distributed in essential places to take an evasive or flight attitude. It can happen that our body paralyzes before taking a correct exit, but the body is in a state of maximum alert.

Its adaptive function is to make us react to effectively escape any danger. Likewise, it promotes avoidance behaviors in the face of dangerous situations.. However, when this emotion becomes persistent and uncontrollable it tends to become pathologized, becoming associated with nervousness, anxiety, worry, restlessness and, at a more serious level, with phobia and panic.

Fear ensures that we are prepared to effectively deal with environmental threats. Expressions of this type of emotion may include:

facial expressions: open your eyes wide and tilt your chin back.Body language: attempts to hide or flee from the threat.Physiological reactions: rapid breathing and increased heart rate.

2. Anger

Our body reacts by sending blood to the hands, favoring the use of weapons or making the person prepared to strike forcefully. The heart rate accelerates and hormones (adrenaline) rise, predisposing our body to take action.. It is associated with hostility, fury, indignation and, in extreme cases, pathological hatred.

When a threat triggers feelings of anger, we may feel inclined to avoid danger and protect ourselves. Anger is often shown through:

facial expressions: to frown or stare.Body language: take a firm stance or walk away.Voice tone: speak sharply or shout.physiological responses: sweating or redness.Aggressive behaviors: hit, kick or throw objects.

3. Love

Feelings of tenderness and sexual complacency generate a general state of calm, relaxation and satisfaction, predisposing our entire organism to mutual understanding. It is associated with sympathy, kindness, affinity and adoration. But in pathological occasions it can lead to extreme dependence.

«Dependency generates fear. If I depend on you emotionally, psychologically or spiritually, I will be your slave and therefore fear you. It is not an opinion, but a fact.”

-Jiddu Krishnamurti-

4. Joy

Negative or uncomfortable sensations are suppressed. Virtually all important physiological reactions are cancelled, except the feeling of tranquility and bodily calm. It is associated with pleasure, fun, sensual harmony and, at somewhat higher levels, with euphoria and ecstasy.

5. Surprise

It is a very brief emotion, it is triggered quickly and in the same way it can transform into any other emotion.. It occurs in an unexpected, novel or unknown situation.

The facial expression of this emotion allows us to expand our visual field and our retina receives more light. This reaction increases information about the eventfacilitating the best way of choosing in the new situation.

Surprise is often characterized by:

facial expressions: raise your eyebrows, open your eyes and open your mouth.Physical responses: jump back.Verbal reactions: scream or gasp.

6. Sadness

In case of losses, it is associated with an adaptive and reparative function. Sadness causes a decrease in energy and enthusiasm for daily activities, paralyzes our metabolism and limits and isolates us. However, its pathological manifestation is associated with dysthymia and depression.

Like other emotions, sadness is something that everyone experiences from time to time. In some cases, people may experience prolonged, severe periods of sadness that can turn into depression. Sadness can be expressed in several ways, including:

Crying. Dejected mood. Lethargy. Disappointment. Bad mood. Social isolation.

7. Disgust

It consists of a rejection response to stimuli that we find unpleasant or repugnant.. For example, spoiled food, lack of hygiene, some animals or body secretions (feces, sweat, urine, etc.).

Among its main adaptive functions are: remove ourselves from harmful situations, promote healthy and hygienic habits and modulate our social relationshipss.

8. Interest

An emotion that helps us consolidate our attention on a stimulus coming from the environment for which, and in specific circumstances, we add a referent value.

Organic modifications caused by emotions

The face becomes pale or red, nervous excitement and reflex movements arisethe viscera stop momentarily, lung capacity changes and cardiac activity increases.

But there are many other modifications: the spleen increases the production of red blood cells, the blood vessels in the skin constrict, the pancreas excretes more glucose and the body generates an increase in adrenaline, which makes us more resistant to fatigue. In addition, secretions such as sweat or urine are generated in greater quantities in some cases.

Primary emotions are beneficial for our body, but we must not forget a saying: he who does not control his emotions is a victim of his circumstances.

However, the theory of the 6 basic emotions, developed by Paul Ekman and currently accepted since the 1960s, is constantly tested. An example of this is this study carried out in Papua New Guinea by Carlos Crivelli, a Spanish psychologist from the Autonomous University of Madrid and his team.

These researchers tried to demonstrate that emotions are not universal, since on certain islands, such as the case of Trobriand, the typical scared face recognizable by “everyone” (tense, wide-open eyes and very tense mouth) in that territory does not have the same meaning as in the rest of the world. There it would not be panic with a tendency to give up, but rather as a threat and anger. It would be demonstrated, if his findings are true, that the gesture has been acquired by tradition and would not have an innate origin.