#Emotion color wheel how to#

With understanding comes the ability to empathize with yourself. These are the behaviors that result from the union of two related emotions.Ĭan you see how this can help you to identify those complex emotions where your feelings overlap? Once you’ve identified them, you can begin to understand them. Understanding Emotional CombinationsĪt the intersection of each emotion, you’ll find a combination, or “dyad” of emotions. Someone may take a huge risk in an angry, volatile state, while fear could make someone else shrink back from danger. How can you use this knowledge to help you understand youremotions? It allows you to better understand your actions and reactions to certain situations.įor example, fear and anger have a direct impact on how much risk we’re willing to take. Surprise is the opposite of anticipation.Did you know the same is true of your emotions?Įach of these basic emotions on the color wheel has a polar opposite emotion. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. This can help you formulate a plan and keep your life moving forward. When you can put your feelings into context, you’ll gain a sense of control and direction. Are you disgusted by a situation, or do you loathe it? Are you simply interested in something, or are you vigilantly pursuing it? Using the color wheel, you can put a name to what you’re feeling. Sometimes we may have a “background” feeling that lingers in our subconscious. Of course, not every emotion we feel is intense. These correspond to the most intense forms of each emotion. The darkest, most intense color shades are located in the center of the wheel. This all sounds interesting, but how can you use the wheel to understand what you’re feeling? As the emotions become milder, they’re placed farther to the outside of the wheel. The less intense form of joy, “serenity,” is located on the outer part of the wheel.Īs you might expect, the more intense emotions are located inside the center of the wheel. A more intense form of joy is “ecstasy,” which is located in the center of the wheel. The wheel focuses on 8 fundamental emotions:Įach of these emotions is placed on a round, color-coded “wheel.” Each section is divided into three different categories representing three different degrees of emotion.Īs an example, joy is considered a base, or primary emotion. Psychologist Robert Plutchik developed the emotion wheel (or wheel of emotions) as a visual way to display our emotions. This is where an emotion wheel comes to the rescue. Sometimes you may feel so overwhelmed by a situation that you can’t even begin to understand how you’re feeling. Or maybe you’re excited about a new opportunity, but you also feel anxious (or even scared).

You may feel a swarm of anger, resentment, sadness, and frustration. Maybe you’re going through a difficult breakup or divorce.

#Emotion color wheel how to#

We don’t need someone to tell us when we’re ecstatic or furious.īut what about those times when we feel something strongly but we don’t know how to explain it? What if there’s an overlap of emotions and we can’t articulate how we feel? Some of these emotions are easy to recognize. What is this mysterious emotion wheel, and how can it help you in your everyday life? Read on to learn the answers! Why Do We Struggle With Our Emotions?Įxperts tell us we experience 27 distinct emotions, with infinite levels of overlap and intensity.

Plutchik’s wheel of emotions (also called an emotion wheel) can give you the clarity you seek. The good news is there’s a way to easily identify and understand what you’re feeling. A busy working mom may struggle to balance her work and family life, while the death of a loved one throws our minds and hearts into turmoil.

Health concerns, financial problems, and family issues all factor into our emotions too. While our monthly cycle does have a part to play in our emotional state, that’s not the end of the story. The next minute you’re anxious, sad, or angry. One minute you’re floating on top of the world. Do you ever feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster?