BERKELEY, Calif. — Human emotions may not be as plentiful as the hundreds of emojis we use on social media, but they’re still more complex than previously believed. A new study examining the various ways that we express ourselves determined that humans display 27 distinct emotional states.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley recruited a diverse sample of 853 men and women to watch short five-to-ten second long video clips meant to evoke a range of reactions, hoping to measure the true spectrum of human emotions.
The study’s experimental component, which incorporated nearly 2,200 silent clips, split participants into one of three groups.
One group disclosed their unfiltered emotional reactions to 30 clips they viewed to the researchers, allowing for raw documentation.
“Their responses reflected a rich and nuanced array of emotional states, ranging from nostalgia to feeling ‘grossed out,’” says lead author Alan Cowen, a doctoral student in neuroscience, in a university news release.
A second group ranked each video in terms of the various emotional reactions it lent, ranging from anger to sexual desire. Most participants in this group gave each video similar marks when it came to the types of emotions it evoked.
A third group had participants evaluate the emotional content of a given video based on a sliding scale (e.g., how negative or positive a video was, or how exciting or boring it was).
Regardless of the group in which one was placed, nearly all participants reacted in a similar manner to any given video. Furthermore, the researchers were able to use this data to determine that humans have 27 distinct categories of emotion.
This finding is rather groundbreaking, considering how previous research had only identified six significant emotional states.
“There are smooth gradients of emotion between, say, awe and peacefulness, horror and sadness, and amusement and adoration,” notes senior author Dacher Keltner. “We found that 27 distinct dimensions, not six, were necessary to account for the way hundreds of people reliably reported feeling in response to each video.”
The research team hopes the new findings can be utilized by other scientists or doctors for further research and innovations in neuroscience.
“Our hope is that our findings will help other scientists and engineers more precisely capture the emotional states that underlie moods, brain activity and expressive signals, leading to improved psychiatric treatments, an understanding of the brain basis of emotion and technology responsive to our emotional needs,” says Cowen.
The team released an interactive map of the emotional states that each video used in the study elicited from participants that led them to their finding. Each of the 27 states corresponds to a color on the map.
The study’s findings were published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Pish posh, I have at least twice that many variations just for my ‘state of bacon and/or cheese’ emotions.
Makes sense. How many genders are we up to now? Around 83 and counting, I think, all with their own set of pronouns, the wrong usage of which, even accidentally, will get you attacked and demonized.
When we venture into space the aliens we encounter will complain we used up all the different genders for one freaking planet. Then they will complain about our narcissistic attitude on using them up for two different sexes.
No, there are TWO genders … and 81 mental illnesses.
It figures. Something this STUPID could only come out of Berzerkeley!
And paid for by tax payer dollars.
If it was Berkeley then many of the subjects would be liberal supremacists which would inevitably lead to skewed results and bias samples of research?
This study came out of Berkeley? Home of the intolerant SJW and the 21 Century Sturmabteilung? Not exactly a credable source anymore.
They’re attempting to do whatever it takes to rationalize and legitimize abject perversion while increasing the need for the useless, aka psychotherapists and such.
Snowflakes have feelings don’t you know?
Yep, 3,824 of them, it seems. They are the real-life Sybil.
Is what you said a micro-aggression? I surely hope so.
Berkeley?!?! HAHA! Got Berkeley on your resume? Strike One.
Those resumes end up in the round file here by default.
LOL! Good post. If I see Berkeley on someone’s resume, we kindly show them the door. Next!
Please tell me you humiliate them first. Seriously, bring them in, let them think they’ve got it in the bag, then BAM, destroy them and send them home crying to mommy and daddy.
Berkeley College is the modern day National Socialist Party, the Nazis.
LOL … Berkeley … where they are offering counseling to students that may be “triggered” by hearing a different viewpoint.
WHo’d believe anything coming out of Berkeley? Nothing but left wing drivel and anarchy.
Liberals have three only, whiny, whinier, whiniest.
Must be why Liberals are having to turn to safe places, coloring books and play doh because they can not face the reality of life…
It is intentional that the failed pubic school system has never taught the snowflakes about reality, but one or two trips into the ghettos or a tour or two in Afghanistan and those snowflakes would be right up to their eyeballs in reality.
Ah, the traditional clash between ivy league (used for all such upper tier exclusionist) nonsense and brute reality. Unfortunately, much of the cabbage in the field is currently reserved for the connected ones, through cronyism. Thankfully, the one thing they haven’t been able to stop Trump from doing is massively decreasing regulations. That, and then recent events such as hurricanes and earthquakes, those are hard for the ivy Leaguers to ignore. Reality may permeate a few thick skulls before they see the grave. Pray for em!
Don’t forget the petting zoos with dogs and cats to soothe the Snowflake’s hurt feelings.
This is a ridiculous study and very fake science. There are only 5 basic emotions and all others can be broken down to one of those five.
An emotion is an instantaneous value judgment. unfortunately no one knows this and everybody pretends emotions are some kind of undefinable mystery. Then some kooks put out some bullshit “study” like this and everyone applauds.
I don’t understand the indignation and dismissivenes of the comments here. As a Christian conservative myself, I would expect that humans are more complex than science has historically considered them. This is merely supplementary confirmation. Not all things out of liberal instutions need be wrong you know.
Faith is the abandonment of reason. Christianity is a faith. Reason is mankind’s sole tool of survival. Faith is the herald of death.
,Not germane to my question. Follow your own counsel and be reasonable. Why all the vitriol in response to the study? A smart and reasonable fellow such as yourself should be able to come up with an answer that does not employ non sequitur responses.
R U a web-bot? No web-bot has ever said to me “I am NOT a web-bot.” So, just answer the question, please, before we continue.
I am not a web bot. Satisfactory enough? Or should I quote Scripture?
Yes. Thank you. Now back to your original question: Which statement is an interrogative? I don’t see any question marks.
How much were these researchers paid?
Could they have better spent their time and our money on something more important? Getting batteries to hold a better charge? Finding a cure for a disease? Ocean desalination? Teaching people to grow food where there is hunger? Better building techniques to withstand storms?
But….it’s Berkeley.
LMAO. Cal Berkley studied 955 diverse Antifa fascists and found 27 emotional states. 1 is happiness. 26 are Trump Derangement Syndrome Mark 1, Mark 2, and so on.
OMG! We’re all going to die!
Actually the study is obviously flawed. Anyone with half a brain knows women have way more emotional states than men.
Gee Whiz, I thought academics didn’t believe in limitations. By the way, the same researchers now believe there are 37 steps in grieving…including microaggression regressive stage.
The sooner each and every very special and unique MAN/wo[mb]Man – NOT “man OR other animal”, manifested IN TO this world, but NOT OF it – understand the mandated individual, inherent RIGHTS and concomitant DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES of administering – with honorable conduct and righteous intent – a “judicious maintenance” of the Original Estate, whatever “emotional states” “expert psycos” [day]dream up/name/label, become part of each individual’s unique personality to be shared with others of same.
Sure, why not? When I grew up, there were only two genders. Now there are 34.5.
and we thought 31 flavors was just for ice cream
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(((F@gs)))
So much money wasted on so many useless “studies”.
So true. I wish any article on a “study” would disclose how it was funded. USA debt now over $20 trillion.