# Five Basic Emotions
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 5, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599 "2005-05-05T21:50:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/1 "2005-05-05T21:50:41Z")
I have heard that there humans have five basic emotions. Is that true? What are they?
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### Author:  [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/2 "2005-05-05T21:54:54Z")
Well, assuming all possible emotions are essentially “flavors” of more basic emotions, let’s see what we can come up with:
Happiness
Sadness
Anger
Disgust
Surprise
Those would by my guesses. Maybe add Contempt and Boredom.
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### Author:  [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/3 "2005-05-05T22:01:11Z")
The 5 basic emotions according to [this site](http://www.reiki.co.nz/insight5.htm) are:
Anger
Fear
Worry
Grief
Joy/Sadness
Again, according to that site:
Guilt is a combination of anger with fear or worry.
Jealousy is anger and fear and is often fueled by very low self-esteem.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/4 "2005-05-05T22:41:27Z")
There are actually seven: happy, grumpy, bashful, sleepy, dopey, sneezy, and doctoral.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/5 "2005-05-05T22:47:25Z")
My five are:
Mad
Sad
Glad
Ashamed
Afraid
Hurt
OK, that’s six. So sue me.
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### Author:  [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/6 "2005-05-05T22:48:46Z")
> [@mittu](#):
>
> The 5 basic emotions according to [this site](http://www.reiki.co.nz/insight5.htm) are:
>
> Anger
> Fear
> Worry
> Grief
> Joy/Sadness
>
> Again, according to that site:
>
> Guilt is a combination of anger with fear or worry.
> Jealousy is anger and fear and is often fueled by very low self-esteem.
Okay… how are joy and sadness the same thing?? And does it strike anyone else as odd that ‘joy’ is the only typically postive emotion that makes their list?? That’s like 1/2 out of five.
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### Author:  [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/7 "2005-05-05T23:09:13Z")
Well, unless **pravnik** is right, I’d go for motivations instead of emotions: hunger, lust, rage, and terror. I’ve also heard those described as “The Four F’s”: fight or flight, feeding, and … family activities.
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### Author:  [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/8 "2005-05-05T23:09:55Z")
According to the site they are both emotions of the heart and the absence of one indicates the presence of the other, i.e. if you aren’t joyful, you are sad.
It’s all a load of new age nonsense if you ask me, i’m just the messenger 🙂
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### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/9 "2005-05-05T23:16:15Z")
[This guy](http://www.emotioneric.com/) has a few with pictures.
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### Author:  [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/10 "2005-05-05T23:21:26Z")
I think that guy has confused “complacent” with “recently taken a handful of sedatives”.
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### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/11 "2005-05-05T23:39:56Z")
In a psyc class I took way back when, they listed 10. There was one on the list that you’d regard as positive, two neutral, and seven negatives. Unfortunately, I no longer have the source for that.
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/12 "2005-05-06T00:16:22Z")
🙂☹ :mad: :eek: :o
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/13 "2005-05-06T00:17:50Z")
… and of course that would be, in English: happy, sad, angry, frightened, and blowjob.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/14 "2005-05-06T00:44:57Z")
> [@Manduck](#):
>
> …and blowjob.
😕
I am unfamiliar with this emotion. How might I experience it?
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### Author:  [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/15 "2005-05-06T01:07:26Z")
Certain urban practicioners may be willing to offer a sample in exchange for a consulting fee.
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### Author:  [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/16 "2005-05-06T02:43:45Z")
> [@chrisk](#):
>
> Okay… how are joy and sadness the same thing?? And does it strike anyone else as odd that ‘joy’ is the only typically postive emotion that makes their list?? That’s like 1/2 out of five.
Cheer up, buddy.
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### Author:  [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/17 "2005-05-06T02:50:56Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> 😕
> I am unfamiliar with this emotion. How might I experience it?
Simple type the first word of this Beatles song into the status bar of the Windows Explorer ‘home’ popup. Click ‘next’ and viola!!
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/18 "2005-05-06T04:57:08Z")
Obviously y’all haven’t seen Donnie Darko.
Fear ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Love
Tha’tis all.
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### Author:  [@jawdirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jawdirk)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-basic-emotions/302599/19 "2005-05-06T06:16:35Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#):
>
> Obviously y’all haven’t seen Donnie Darko.
>
> Fear ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Love
>
> Tha’tis all.
Or as **Manduck** would have it:
Frightened ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blowjob
That’s it.