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Emotions

smiling young woman standing outside while holding her red umbrella

A complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral, and physiological elements, by which an individual attempts to deal with a personally significant matter or event. The specific quality of the emotion (e.g., fear, shame) is determined by the specific significance of the event. For example, if the significance involves threat, fear is likely to be generated; if the significance involves disapproval from another, shame is likely to be generated. Emotion typically involves feeling but differs from feeling in having an overt or implicit engagement with the world.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

lonely woman sitting on park bench

Addressing loneliness

Research highlights loneliness as a driver of mental health outcomes

A multimethod view of emotional sharing

Translational Issues in Psychological Science article examines friends' affective and physiological responses

Speaking of Psychology: Why being ‘a little more social’ makes us happier than we expect, with Nicholas Epley, PhD

Why being ‘a little more social’ makes us happier than we expect

Nicholas Epley, PhD, discusses why people consistently underestimate how much they’ll enjoy all kinds of social interactions

building a house

Volunteering and other kind acts help the helper, too

People who volunteer are happier, less depressed, and less lonely than others

More resources about emotions

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Webinars, training, and events

APA books

Cover of Coming Soon (medium)

Addressing Suffering and Flourishing in Psychotherapy

Cover of A Clinical Guide to Working With Youth With Conduct Disorders and Limited Prosocial Emotions

Clinical Guide to Working With Youth With Conduct

Emotionography

Emotionography

Principles of Emotion Change

Principles of Emotion Change

Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy

Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy, 2e

Magination Press children’s books

Music Is Everywhere

Music Is Everywhere

Pizza Melts Down

Pizza Melts Down

Waiting for Iced Tea

Waiting for Iced Tea

What to Do When Fear Interferes, Revised Edition

What to Do When Fear Interferes, Revised Edition

What to Do When It's Not Fair, Revised Edition

What to Do When It's Not Fair

More children's books

Journal special issues

Cover of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

Cover of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation

Interpersonal Emotion Regulation

Cover of Special Issue in Honor of Jerome Kagan and His Research Legacy

Special Issue in Honor of Jerome Kagan and His Research Legacy

Cover of Musical Aesthetics

Musical Aesthetics

Cover of Psychology and the Pandemic

Psychology and the Pandemic

APA journals

Cover of American Journal of Orthopsychiatry (medium)

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

Cover of Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (medium)

Journal of Occupational Health Psychology

Cover of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (medium)

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Cover of Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology (medium)

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Cover of Health Psychology (medium)

Health Psychology