What are emotions, and why do we have them? | HowStuffWorks

Basic emotions like anger, surprise, disgust, joy, fear and sadness are thought to be universal, and a naturally-occuring reflexive response to a given situation, event or circumstance.

New studies show that human emotions are far more nuanced, and just like primary colors produce thousands more, our emotions are subjective, diverse and as many as all the possible human experiences.

• In Psychology, emotions can be either the result of an experience of a situation, or a certain perception of changes that occur within our bodies.
• There are higher emotions like self-awareness, self-consciousness, and an increased sense of empathy or compassion for others.
• Moral emotions include pride, guilt, shame and embarrassment.