POWERHOUSE OF EMOTIONS: MAKING EMOTIONS A SOURCE OF POWER

Abstract

People’s ideal affect has [a significant impact] on what they do to feel good, their responses to activities and events, their physical and mental health, and their social judgments and behaviors,” (Jeanne Tsai, professor of psychology, Stanford University, pioneer of ideal affect in 2001) Psychology long believed that human emotions can be mainly categorized into happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust. However, latest research by Keltner has suggested that there are not less than 27 distinct emotions, and that they are closely interconnected (Cowen and Keltner, 2017). “The goal is not to run from negative emotions, or pursue only the feel-good ones, but to be able to shift: experience all of them, learn from them, and, when needed, move easily from one emotional state into another,” (Ethan Kross, in the book Shift) As a society certain emotions are welcome and certain emotions are discouraged. Emotions like anger, sadness and fear are considered as a sign of weaknesses and as negative feelings.