As humans, we tend to hide our vulnerabilities out of fear of appearing weak. However, when we observe others being open and vulnerable, we often view them as strong for doing so. Emotions are essential for humans to express, yet different emotions can be perceived in various ways. It’s evident that the human mind perceives emotions differently, but the reasons behind this variation remain a mystery when it comes to how different emotions are expressed. The mind can be deceptive, influencing how we experience specific emotions, the variety of emotional states with how we view them including the different types of tears, perception of emotion through text, and how language perceives emotions. 

Emotions are fundamental to human experience, shaping our thoughts, behaviors, and interactions. Understanding emotions can be complex, as they encompass a range of feelings, from joy and love to anger and sadness. Therefore, humans tend to confuse our vulnerabilities for fear of being weak or our expressions and actions for vulnerability. Emotions are crucial for human expression, but different emotions can be viewed in various ways. It would  seem that the human mind is wired to perceive emotion, yet how the different emotions come into play is a mystery, as far as expression goes. The mind can play tricks on the human body to modulate such feelings of an emotion, the breadth of emotional states and, particularly, the variety of tears. Judith Rosenhouse, in the Journal of Phonetics, conducted a study in which the different cries and tears of a baby were monitored and categorized. “In the present study different cries of an individual baby are examined in order to better understand the differences between cries which are apparently stimulated by different causes.” Infants express themselves through various cries and tears, and adults do the same in their own ways. We as humans share emotions that are vital to the human experience that alter our thoughts, behaviors and interactions. The study of emotions both in humans and scenarios is bound to provide one with a broader understanding of emotions and their relationship to human psychology. 

Emotions can be widely defined as complex psychological states characterized by three distinct components: a subjective experience, a physiological response, and a behavioral or expressive response. Primary emotions are typically known as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. These feelings are usually short-term and appear because of different stimuli. Primary emotions play an adaptive role and have a promoting impact on survival. For example, fear can prompt flight-or-fight responses, and happiness can enable social bonding and cooperation. Being able to recognize such basic emotions permits the individual to develop ways of responding to stimuli and then find out what kinds of things elicit these responses. There are also secondary emotions that result as reactions to primary emotions and usually are shaped by personal experience or social context. These are more complex and may vary among individuals based on sex, age, etc. Some secondary emotions are shame, guilt, pride, and jealousy.  For example, one may get angry because of an incident that took place, that would be a primary emotion. But if he responded aggressively to the situation, then he would go into the secondary emotion of being shamed. According to Olivia Guy-evans, in the article of Simply psychology, “Secondary shame stems from imagining others’ judgment. You mess up, criticize yourself harshly, then assume everyone sees you that way.” Not only do we, as humans, judge others when they are in vulnerable states, but we also do the same to ourselves. 

Understanding this category can help individuals examine what is happening with regard to their feelings and the causes leading to them. The interaction of primary and secondary emotions together may aid a person in managing their emotional actions more appropriately since they will know how to handle the root, rather than the emotion itself. Imagine if we could grasp the various types of tears that humans express. Some might be tears of joy, others could be tears of sorrow, and yet others might stem from anger. Especially because of the differences we share such as sex, age, culture etc. The way we view emotions are all led by these factors that control how we react to them. For example, If I saw a man crying out in public I would assume it’s out of sadness or anger because it’s not seen often. Since I am a woman, this is how I would perceive it. To another man, they could perceive it as weak. These factors alter how we view this.

Lastly, Complex emotions further portray the task of human emotions as a complex one. These emotions usually result from a mix of primary and secondary emotions and include nostalgia, envy, and even empathetic feelings. The complex emotions are usually wider contexts and may well involve more complicated reasoning skills, such as the ability to reflect upon past events or to understand other people’s feelings. The categorization of emotions into different groupings opens our eyes to appreciate the diversity of emotional experiences, the influences of human behaviors, and human relationships. Recognizing the categories of emotions can help in emotional intelligence-thinking about how to better negotiate one’s feelings and the feelings of others. Emotional intelligence incorporates the capability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own and others’ emotions. 

By understanding one’s feelings with clarity and categories, it reduces misunderstandings in situations. This could benefit us as humans in not only for ourselves but for our relationships. Having this sort of emotional intelligence is key for success of displaying emotions and understanding them. Emotions are feelings that affect every human aspect of life. Understanding our emotions allows us as humans to navigate our feelings with more awareness and empathy. By embracing this, we open pathways for deeper self-awareness and mutual understanding, enhancing our lives and fostering a more empathetic world.

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