Difference Between Feelings and Emotions

Feelings vs Emotions

 

Feelings and Emotions are two words between which a number of differences can be observed. In day today language, people often tend to confuse these terms due to the close similarity in their connotations. Feelings refer to the reactions that individuals have to external as well as internal factors. Emotions, on the other hand, refer to the internal factors. This article attempts to highlight the differences between feelings and emotions by providing an understanding of both terms.

What are Feelings?

Feelings are mental transformations that result due to conducive or unfavorable conditions. Feelings can come to people due to external factors or even internal factors. It might be something that a person sees, or hears or even feels internally. These are usually believed to be short term.  These can be suppressed and are not easily shown on the face. Feelings are inexplicable in character. If you experience some unearthly joy then there arises a kind of feeling in your mind that cannot be easily explained at all. The people around you also will not be in a position to notice the feeling that took place in you. Your health does not suffer in case you try to suppress your feelings. As a matter of fact, the feeling of anger and distress are suppressed for the good of the society. Imagine if you cannot suppress your feelings of anger and distress! The manner in which individuals deal with feelings differs from one person to the other. Some may be very expressive in their feelings because others would be much more restrained. Also, the personality of the individual is also important when it comes to feelings. For an example, the way one person reacts to a frustrating situation may be completely different from that of another. Let us try to understand this through an example. In a relationship crisis, one person gets angry. This is his feeling. But in the same situation another person would get scared. These differences of feeling differ according to the personality of the individual. Having the ability to control one’s feelings is very beneficial for people. For an example, if a teacher continuously gets annoyed when the students ask questions, she not only fails to teach the students well but the students also engage in limited learning. By controlling the feelings, the teacher has a better opportunity to perform well. Now let us pay attention to emotions.

What are Emotions?

Emotions have to be understood as a type of human sensation that comes to individuals mostly through internal factors. In this sense, it is in the human system that makes it difficult to control and hide. Unlike feelings that can be controlled, emotions cannot be easily suppressed. Emotions are easily shown on the face. Emotions are explicable in character. For example, if somebody close to us dies, then we may express our emotions so that the people around us are conscious of the mental transformations that took place in us. If emotions are suppressed health suffers a lot. Also, if emotions are suppressed continuously, there is a tendency for them to pour out one day. We see a number of instances where, persons that controlled their emotions lose their cool one day and pour all the suppressed emotions out suddenly. According to a psychological study, feelings are common in each one of us because, emotions differ from person to person. These are the differences between feelings and emotions.

What is the Difference Between Feelings and Emotions?

• Feelings can be suppressed whereas, emotions cannot be easily suppressed.
• Feelings are not easily shown on the face. On the other hand, emotions are easily shown on the face.
• Feelings are inexplicable in character, but emotions are explicable.
• Feelings are common in each one of us whereas, emotions differ from person to person according to a psychological study.

 

Image Courtesy:

1.”P culture yellow” by Schläsinger – [ CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons 

2.By me (me) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons