The Book of Human Emotions

The Book of Human Emotions catalogs 156 feelings from across time periods and cultures, examining both common and obscure emotional states. From German Schadenfreude to Norwegian Forelsket, this lexicon explores the nuances between seemingly similar feelings and the cultural contexts that birthed specific emotional concepts. Through historical anecdotes, literary references, and scientific research, Watt Smith traces how different societies have understood, labeled, and experienced emotions. The book moves between ancient Greek philosophy, contemporary psychology, art history, and linguistic analysis to map the territory of human feeling. Each emotional entry combines etymology, cultural examples, and analysis to create a rich portrait of how humans process and express their inner states. The format allows readers to explore connections between emotions while learning about the social and historical forces that shape emotional understanding. This examination of named emotions reveals how language and culture influence the way humans perceive and categorize their emotional experiences. The book suggests that expanding our emotional vocabulary can lead to greater self-awareness and cross-cultural understanding.

Readers appreciate the book's bite-sized chapters and accessible writing style that explores lesser-known emotions from different cultures. Many note its value as a reference guide to dip in and out of rather than reading cover-to-cover. Positive reviews highlight the author's research into etymology and cultural context for each emotion. Several readers mentioned discovering new words for familiar feelings, like "brabant" (the urge to put off going to bed). Common criticisms include: - Entries feel too brief and surface-level - Lacks depth in psychological/scientific analysis - Arbitrary selection of emotions covered - Writing can be repetitive Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (1,900+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (180+ ratings) Notable review quote: "Like a dictionary of emotions you never knew you needed. Perfect for writers and anyone interested in the human condition." - Goodreads reviewer "Too lightweight for academic use but too academic for casual reading" - Amazon reviewer

The Emotional Brain by Joseph LeDoux This neuroscientific exploration of emotions traces how fear, anxiety, and joy operate in the brain through neural pathways and memory systems.

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin Darwin's detailed observations reveal the evolutionary basis of human emotions through physical expressions and behaviors across cultures and species.

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman The research connects brain architecture with emotional awareness and demonstrates how emotional capabilities shape life outcomes more than IQ.

The Nature of Emotion by Andrew Ortony, Gerald L. Clore, and Allan Collins This cognitive science approach breaks down emotions into their structural components and examines how thoughts create emotional experiences.

How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett The theory of constructed emotion challenges traditional views by showing how emotions emerge from the interplay of physical sensations, past experiences, and cultural concepts.

🔹 The word "emotion" itself only emerged in the English language in the 1600s, prior to which feelings were described using terms like "passions," "sentiments," or "affections." 🔹 Author Tiffany Watt Smith is a research fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions at Queen Mary University of London, one of the world's first research centers dedicated to studying the history of how people feel. 🔹 The book catalogs 156 different emotions from around the world, including many that don't have English equivalents, such as "gigil" (the urge to squeeze something overwhelmingly cute) from Tagalog. 🔹 Some emotions described in historical texts have seemingly disappeared from modern experience, such as "acedia," a spiritual listlessness that troubled medieval monks. 🔹 The book reveals that many emotions we consider universal and timeless are actually shaped by culture and era - for example, "nostalgia" was once considered a medical condition that could be fatal, particularly among Swiss mercenaries.