There was a time in my life when I had very little vocabulary to describe my emotions beyond happy, sad, and… hungry. OK, technically the third one isn’t really an emotion but it’s all I had at the time. Much later in life, I learned to identify and distinguish a wider range of emotions, to understand what triggers them within me, and to make better choices regarding how I respond to my own emotional states. What stands out in my memory about my efforts to learn this stuff is: 1) it was not fun, 2) it was haphazard, 3) it’s a lifelong pursuit.
A few years ago the Dalai Lama got together with Doctors Paul and Eve Ekman, the world’s top researchers on emotion to create an online “map” of universal emotions. The Atlas of Emotions is designed to help us navigate the strong emotions we experience every day using constructive response strategies. One of these strategies is understanding our personal triggers and response patterns. The Atlas, which offers an interactive and user-driven learning experience, is organized around five universal emotions: fear, enjoyment, sadness, disgust, and anger. A user can track a trigger event (e.g., a friend gets angry with you) and then explore the emotions (e.g., fear, sadness) and different responses they may have to that emotion such as avoidance, hesitation, worry or rage. Additionally, the website features a video conversation between the Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman on topics like “strategies to cultivate a calm mind in the midst of strong emotions.”
The Atlas of Emotions is a great tool for leaders who want to increase their emotional literacy – particularly people who respond to well-researched content, interesting graphics, and interactive learning. Check out this tool and let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Photo Credit: Jev55
Cool tool, I look forward to exploring!
I always learn from your tool bag posts – thank you!
Glad you are enjoying the blogs! You are very welcome.
In reading this post and learning about the five universal emotions of fear, enjoyment (joy), sadness, disgust, and anger, it occurred to me that those are the 5 “characters” in the brain of the main character in the fantastic and brilliant film Inside Out. When I looked up Paul Ekman and Inside Out together, it turns out that Ekman was consulted by the creators of the film. Here is a link to the piece I found that speaks to this. And, if it wasn’t clear already, I highly recommend Inside Out. It is brilliant and deep even as it is totally family friendly and appropriate for people of all ages. A fascinating look at how our minds really work from which I gain different things each time I see it.
Thank you, Larry, for your continued wisdom and inspiration!
Josh — What a great connection to a truly amazing film. I’m going to go back and view it and recommend others do as well.
I forgot the link!
https://www.paulekman.com/uncategorized/atlas-of-emotions/