Emotions are NOT automatically trigered by events. They are constructed by our brain.Decades of research at Northeastern University has proven that our brain's most important job is not thinking or feeling or even seeing... but to make sure we survive & thrive. Our brain constantly predicts... and those ultimately become the emotions we experience & notice in others.And since our brain constructs emotions, we can teach it to label them more precisely so that we can use it to take the most appropriate action.

Myth about Emotions

The brain can give us more tailor-made tools to fit each specific situation if we can articulate more precisely how we are feeling<ol><li>Understand the difference between feelings words.</li><li>Pick words from other languages if yours doesn't have a specific word for what you are feeling. Like, Dutch for togetherness is gezellig, & Greek for feeling of major guilt is enohi.</li><li>How it works - More specific words 👉🏼clearer concept👉🏼more accurate predictions👉🏼better anticipation & fulfillment of body's energy needs👉🏼better sense of wellbeing.</li></ol>

#2. Learn more emotion words

<ul><li>Fewer medical intervention needs.</li><li>Better relationships with family & friends.</li><li>Better able to choose correct actions in social situations.</li><li>Less likely to stress drink.</li><li>Less likely to relataliate aggressively.</li><li>More flexible regulating emotions</li></ul>

Benefits of naming emotions exactly

<ul><li>What - Categorizing is combining different emotion concepts to express feelings precisely. Like when leaving home to join a college in a different city. So many different emotions combine to make us feel the way we do in that moment.</li><li>Why - To be better able to cope with a wide range of circumstances. Plus, better understand others, negotiate conflict, & get along with people.</li><li>How - Practice. Just like painters learn to see fine distinctions in colors others cannot, you can practice the skill of categorizing.</li></ul>People pay good money to therapists and life coaches for exactly this purpose.

#1. Practice the skill of categorizing

When people speaking in public recategorize their anxiety as excitement, their sympathetic nervous system still creates  jittery butterflies but...they perform better

By more clearly identifying our feelings or by recategorizing them, we can reduce suffering (yes!) and increase well-being, says neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett.

Myth about Emotions

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