# emotion

> biological states associated with the nervous system

**Wikidata**: [Q9415](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9415)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/emotion

## Summary
Emotion is a biological state associated with the nervous system that appears as a mental state and a form of subjective experience (qualia). Emotions include well-known categories (e.g., love, anger, sadness, awe) and relate to attention, motivation, moral judgment, and social signaling; they are represented in language, gesture, and pictorial forms (emoticons).

## Key Facts
- Emotion is described on Wikidata as "biological states associated with the nervous system."
- Alias: "emotions."
- Wikipedia title: "Emotion."
- Sitelink count for the emotion entry: 169.
- Emotion is categorized as a mental state (sitelink_count: 23).
- Emotion is associated with qualia (individual instances of subjective, conscious experience) (sitelink_count: 39).
- Emotion relates to atmosphere (sensorial qualities a space emits) (sitelink_count: 6).
- Specific emotion examples and their short descriptions as parent/related items:
  - Awe — comparable to wonder but less joyous, combining fear, reverence, and admiration (sitelink_count: 30).
  - Love — strong, positive emotion based on affection (sitelink_count: 248).
  - Anger — intense emotional state that sometimes results in combative and destructive actions (sitelink_count: 143).
  - Aesthetic emotions — emotions felt in response to aesthetic objects (sitelink_count: 5).
  - Reverence — attitude of deep respect tinged with awe (sitelink_count: 8).
  - Passion — feeling of intense enthusiasm towards or compelling desire for someone or something (sitelink_count: 69).
  - Arousal — physiological and psychological state of being awoken (sitelink_count: 25).
  - Sorrow — (a cause of) a feeling of great sadness (sitelink_count: 29).
  - Relaxation — emotional state of low tension and absence of arousal from sources such as anger, anxiety, or fear (sitelink_count: 19).
  - Silliness — intentional human acts of inanity or absurdity (sitelink_count: 9).
  - Self-love — regard for one's own health, well-being, and happiness (sitelink_count: 25).
  - Suspicion — emotion; belief with less than complete certainty (sitelink_count: 17).
  - Metaemotion — emotions, and thoughts, about emotion (sitelink_count: 5).
  - Divine grace — theological and religious term related to emotional experience (sitelink_count: 21).
  - Regret — negative emotional reaction to personal past acts (sitelink_count: 40).
  - Belongingness — human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group (sitelink_count: 20).
  - Ambivalence — having simultaneous conflicting reactions, beliefs, or feelings (sitelink_count: 42).
  - Rage — advanced emotion, feeling of intense or growing anger (sitelink_count: 40).
  - Affect — experience of feeling or emotion (sitelink_count: 51).
  - Interest — emotion that focuses attention on something (sitelink_count: 37).
  - Motivation — inner state causing goal-directed behavior (sitelink_count: 92).
  - Shyness — feeling of apprehension, discomfort or awkwardness around others (sitelink_count: 67).
  - Emptiness — generalized boredom, social alienation and apathy often accompanying mood disorders (sitelink_count: 32).
  - Sadness — emotional pain associated with loss, despair, grief, helplessness, disappointment and sorrow (sitelink_count: 112).
  - Cognitive dissonance — mental stress experienced when holding contradictory beliefs (sitelink_count: 53).
  - Pleasure — broad class of mental states experienced as positive or enjoyable (sitelink_count: 96).
  - Boldness — opposite of fear (sitelink_count: 23).
  - Desire — emotion of longing or hoping for a person, object, or outcome (sitelink_count: 58).
  - Immersion — perception of being physically present in a non-physical world (sitelink_count: 20).
  - Gratitude — feeling or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit (sitelink_count: 83).
  - Contempt — regarding someone or something as inferior or worthless (sitelink_count: 54).
  - Moral emotion — emotion that influences moral judgements or decisions (sitelink_count: 7).
- Related concepts and their sitelink_counts where provided:
  - Academic discipline (sitelink_count: 50).
  - Field of study (sitelink_count: 12).
  - Emoticon — pictorial representation of facial expression using punctuation, numbers, and letters (sitelink_count: 66).
  - Surprise — emotional state from an unexpected event (sitelink_count: 84).
  - Pessimism — mental attitude anticipating undesired outcomes (sitelink_count: 98).
  - Kindness — behavior marked by pleasant disposition and concern for others (sitelink_count: 57).
  - Loyalty (sitelink_count: 46).
  - Saudade — special feeling of light sadness (sitelink_count: 33).
  - Comfort — sense of physical or psychological ease (sitelink_count: 31).
  - Admiration — a social emotion (sitelink_count: 33).
  - Enthusiasm — state of emotional concentration or intense enjoyment/interest (sitelink_counts: 5 and 66 in different entries).
  - Anticipation — basic emotion (sitelink_count: 31).
  - Sympathy — perception, understanding, and reaction to another's distress (sitelink_count: 61).
  - Self-pity (sitelink_count: 20).
  - Sehnsucht — longing without expectation of achievement (sitelink_count: 16).
  - Suspense — feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about outcomes (sitelink_count: 35).
  - Antipathy (sitelink_count: 37).
  - Angst (sitelink_count: 32).
  - Muditā — sympathetic joy in Sanskrit and Pali (sitelink_count: 20).
  - Lovestruck (sitelink_count: 9).
  - Pride — state of satisfaction with oneself (sitelink_count: 57).
  - Social anxiety — discomfort or fear in social interactions (sitelink_count: 18).
  - Relaxation (repeated entry) (sitelink_count: 19).
  - Thomas J. Scheff — American sociologist (1929–2025); occupations: , ; citizenship: Q30; sitelink_count: 5.
  - Haughtiness (sitelink_count: 69).
  - Léon Dumont — French philosopher (1837–1877); occupations: , , ; citizenship: ; sitelink_count: 8.
  - Thomas Gann — British physician and archaeologist (1867–1938); occupations and citizenship: occupation: , , , , , , ; citizenship: ; sitelink_count: 13.
  - Suspicion (repeated) (sitelink_count: 17).
  - Spite (sitelink_count: 16).
  - Pity (sitelink_count: 36).
  - Victim playing (sitelink_count: 24).
  - Barbara Fredrickson — American psychology professor; occupations: , ; citizenship: Q30; sitelink_count: 6.
  - Ingratitude (sitelink_count: 15).
  - Irritability — excitatory ability to respond to environmental change (sitelink_count: 30).
  - Interest (repeated) (sitelink_count: 37).
  - Shyness (repeated) (sitelink_count: 67).
  - Conviction (sitelink_count: 21).
  - Unrequited love (sitelink_count: 29).
  - Anger (related entry) (sitelink_count: 7 in one related list).
  - Joscha Bach — cognitive scientist born 1973-12-21 (preferred); alternate birth value: 1973; occupation: computer scientist; citizenship: Germany; sitelink_count: 6.
  - Affectivity (sitelink_count: 14).
  - Romantism — emotion or way of life (sitelink_count: 11).
  - Elevation — emotion elicited by witnessing remarkable moral goodness (sitelink_count: 5).
  - Annoyance (sitelink_count: 37).
  - Desire (repeated) (sitelink_count: 58).
  - Limerence — state of mind from romantic attraction (sitelink_count: 25).
  - Compassion — feeling of kindness and care for another (sitelink_count: 74).
  - Epiphany (sitelink_count: 15).
  - Gratitude (repeated) (sitelink_count: 83).
  - Longing (sitelink_count: 7).
- Emotion contains or subsumes "personality" as a related subsidiary (personality: psychological characteristics of an individual) (sitelink_count: 94).
- Gesture is listed under "Key People" as a form of non-verbal or non-vocal communication associated with emotion (gesture sitelink_count: 61).

## FAQs
Q: What is an emotion in simple terms?
A: Emotion is a biological state tied to the nervous system that manifests as a mental state and as subjective experience (qualia), and it includes specific feelings such as love, anger, and sadness.

Q: How are emotions classified or related to other psychological categories?
A: Emotions are described as types of mental states and qualia and are related to affect, arousal, motivation, and moral emotions; they also overlap with categories like interest, pleasure, sadness, and anticipation.

Q: What are common examples of emotions?
A: Commonly listed emotions include love (sitelink_count: 248), anger (143), sadness (112), pleasure (96), gratitude (83), and awe (30), among many others.

Q: How do emotions relate to personality?
A: Personality is listed as a subsidiary area connected to emotion; personality refers to psychological characteristics of an individual and is closely linked with emotional patterns (personality sitelink_count: 94).

Q: How are emotions represented or communicated?
A: Emotions are communicated non-verbally through gesture (key people entry; sitelink_count: 61) and pictorially through emoticons (sitelink_count: 66).

Q: Which academic fields study emotions?
A: Emotions intersect with academic disciplines and fields of study (academic discipline sitelink_count: 50; field of study sitelink_count: 12) including psychology, cognitive science, and related human sciences.

Q: Who are some notable people connected to the study or cultural context of emotion?
A: Named individuals in the dataset include Léon Dumont (French philosopher, 1837–1877), Thomas Gann (British physician and archaeologist, 1867–1938), Thomas J. Scheff (American sociologist, 1929–2025), Joscha Bach (cognitive scientist, born 1973), Judith Orloff (American psychiatrist), and Barbara Fredrickson (American psychology professor).

## Why It Matters
- Emotions are central to human subjective experience because they are both biological states of the nervous system and forms of conscious experience (qualia); they shape how people perceive, evaluate, and respond to events.
- Emotions influence motivation and goal-directed behavior (motivation sitelink_count: 92) and can focus attention (interest sitelink_count: 37), thereby affecting decision-making and action.
- Emotions contribute to social cohesion and signaling: feelings like gratitude, compassion, and belongingness mediate social bonds (gratitude sitelink_count: 83; compassion sitelink_count: 74; belongingness sitelink_count: 20).
- Moral reasoning and judgments are shaped by certain emotional categories; "moral emotion" is explicitly defined as an emotion that influences moral judgements or decisions (sitelink_count: 7).
- Emotions are culturally and philosophically studied across disciplines (academic discipline sitelink_count: 50), and they appear in art and aesthetics (aesthetic emotions sitelink_count: 5), religious or theological contexts (divine grace sitelink_count: 21), and language/representation (emoticon sitelink_count: 66).
- Understanding emotion aids in addressing mental health phenomena: sadness, emptiness, social anxiety, and irritability are linked to clinical and social outcomes (sadness sitelink_count: 112; emptiness 32; social anxiety 18; irritability 30).

## Notable For
- Being defined on Wikidata as "biological states associated with the nervous system," emphasizing the physiological basis of emotions.
- Encompassing a broad array of named emotional states with high cross-referencing (sitelink counts: love 248; anger 143; sadness 112; pleasure 96).
- Connecting subjective experience (qualia) with functional roles like motivation, attention, and moral judgment.
- Linking to expressive and representational systems such as gesture (non-verbal communication, sitelink_count: 61) and emoticons (sitelink_count: 66).
- Serving as a parent or close class to numerous specific emotional constructs (e.g., awe, reverence, regret, ambivalence) and to related psychological constructs (affect, affectivity, personality).
- Appearing across academic disciplines, philosophical traditions, and cultural categories (academic discipline sitelink_count: 50; field of study sitelink_count: 12).

## Body

### Definition and Core Description
- Emotion is characterized as a biological state associated with the nervous system.  
- Emotion is also treated as a mental state (sitelink_count: 23) and as part of qualia — individual instances of subjective, conscious experience (sitelink_count: 39).  
- The entry aliases include "emotions" and the canonical Wikipedia page title is "Emotion" (sitelink_count: 169).

### Taxonomy and Parent/Related Categories
- Emotions are grouped with and overlap many categories:
  - Affect and affectivity are closely related experiential categories (affect sitelink_count: 51; affectivity sitelink_count: 14).
  - Mental phenomena closely tied to emotion include motivation (sitelink_count: 92), arousal (sitelink_count: 25), and attention-related emotions like interest (sitelink_count: 37).
  - Moral emotion is a defined subclass affecting moral judgments (sitelink_count: 7).
  - Emotions also intersect with aesthetic domains: aesthetic emotions are those felt in response to aesthetic objects (sitelink_count: 5).

### Representative Emotion Instances (Parents / Named Emotions)
- The dataset lists many named emotional states and short descriptors:
  - Love — "strong, positive emotion based on affection" (sitelink_count: 248).
  - Anger — "intense emotional state that sometimes results in combative and destructive actions" (sitelink_count: 143).
  - Sadness — "emotional pain associated with disadvantage, loss, despair, grief, helplessness, disappointment and sorrow" (sitelink_count: 112).
  - Pleasure — "mental states that humans and other animals experience as positive, enjoyable, or worth seeking" (sitelink_count: 96).
  - Gratitude — "feeling or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit" (sitelink_count: 83).
  - Compassion — "feeling of kindness and care for another" (sitelink_count: 74).
  - Passion — "feeling of intense enthusiasm or compelling desire" (sitelink_count: 69).
  - Shyness — "apprehension, discomfort or awkwardness in the presence of other people" (sitelink_count: 67).
  - Admiration, pride, contempt, longing, annoyance, regret, and many other affective terms are enumerated with their respective sitelink counts in the source.

### Related Concepts and Cultural Representations
- Emotions are represented in nonverbal and symbolic forms:
  - Gesture is listed as a key communicative form associated with emotion (gesture sitelink_count: 61).
  - Emoticons are a pictorial representation of facial expression using punctuation, numbers and letters (sitelink_count: 66).
- Emotions also appear in cultural, philosophical, and religious contexts:
  - Divine grace is included as a theological term linked to emotional or affective experience (sitelink_count: 21).
  - Muditā (sympathetic joy) and Sehnsucht (a form of longing) illustrate cross-cultural named affects (muditā sitelink_count: 20; sehnsucht sitelink_count: 16).

### Intersections with Mental Health and Social Behavior
- Several entries indicate emotional states or conditions relevant to well-being and pathology:
  - Emptiness is connected to dysthymia, depression, loneliness, anhedonia, and despair (sitelink_count: 32).
  - Social anxiety and shyness denote interpersonal discomfort (social anxiety sitelink_count: 18; shyness sitelink_count: 67).
  - Cognitive dissonance is a mental stress tied to contradictory beliefs (sitelink_count: 53).
  - Irritability and annoyance capture excitatory responses to environmental change (irritability sitelink_count: 30; annoyance sitelink_count: 37).

### Containment and Subsidiaries
- Personality is listed as a subsidiary connected to emotion; personality refers to psychological characteristics of an individual and has a sitelink_count of 94.

### Academic and Disciplinary Context
- Emotions are topics across academic disciplines (academic discipline sitelink_count: 50) and fields of study (field of study sitelink_count: 12).  
- Notable scholars and figures associated with emotion or its study include:
  - Léon Dumont (French philosopher, 1837–1877) — linked to emotional theory and aesthetics (sitelink_count: 8).
  - Thomas Gann (British physician and archaeologist, 1867–1938) — presented as a historical figure with multiple occupations and a sitelink_count of 13.
  - Thomas J. Scheff (American sociologist, 1929–2025) — linked with sociological perspectives on emotion (sitelink_count: 5).
  - Joscha Bach (cognitive scientist; computer scientist; born 1973-12-21; citizenship: Germany) — included among related people (sitelink_count: 6).
  - Judith Orloff (American psychiatrist) — listed among related person-entries.
  - Barbara Fredrickson (American psychology professor) — associated with emotional research (sitelink_count: 6).

### Overlap with Motivation, Attention, and Behavior
- Emotion is tied to motivational states (motivation sitelink_count: 92) and to arousal (sitelink_count: 25), indicating links between feeling states and readiness for action.
- Interest is explicitly framed as an emotion that directs attention (interest sitelink_count: 37).

### Moral and Social Emotions
- Several entries capture morally-laden emotions:
  - Elevation — elicited by witnessing moral goodness (sitelink_count: 5).
  - Moral emotion — defined as influencing moral judgments (sitelink_count: 7).
  - Compassion, pity, gratitude, and admiration are listed as social or prosocial emotions (compassion sitelink_count: 74; pity sitelink_count: 36; gratitude sitelink_count: 83; admiration sitelink_count: 33).

### Language, Aesthetics, and Special Emotion Terms
- Special emotional concepts include:
  - Aesthetic emotions, which are felt in response to art or aesthetic objects (sitelink_count: 5).
  - Sehnsucht, saudade, limerence, and lovestruck show culturally specific or named affective states (sehnsucht 16; saudade 33; limerence 25; lovestruck 9).
  - Epiphany, anticipation, and surprise are cognitive-affective states linked to understanding and expectation (epiphany sitelink_count: 15; anticipation sitelink_count: 31; surprise sitelink_count: 84).

### Cross-listings and Redundancies
- Some concepts appear multiple times in the provided data (e.g., relaxation, interest, anger, suspicion) indicating cross-category links and recurrence across related lists.

### Usage Notes and Metadata
- The primary metadata for this knowledge entry: aliases = emotions; sitelink_count = 169; wikipedia_title = Emotion; wikidata_description = biological states associated with the nervous system.

### Index of Named Items from Source (alphabetical selection with sitelink counts where given)
- Affect (51); Affectivity (14); Arousal (25); Awe (30); Compassion (74); Contempt (54); Desire (58); Emoticon (66); Ennui/emptiness (32); Gratitude (83); Interest (37); Joy/pleasure (96); Love (248); Motivation (92); Passion (69); Personality (94); Rage (40); Regret (40); Reverence (8); Sadness (112); Self-love (25); Shyness (67); Surprise (84).

(End of entry.)

## References

1. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
2. [Nuovo soggettario](https://thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/termine.php?id=6127)
3. Nuovo soggettario
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. YSO-Wikidata mapping project
6. BabelNet
7. UMLS 2023
8. [Source](https://golden.com/wiki/Emotion-K5WM)
9. National Library of Israel
10. KBpedia
11. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)