Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions: Exploring the Emotion Wheel
Emotions can be confusing! But what if you could explore them in an emotion wheel, and dig deeper with a simply powerful emotions list? The Plutchik Model of Emotions provides a simply logical way to make sense of feelings. Plus! At the bottom of this page you’ll find our top emotions resources, and a form to get your free emotions list with dozens of emotions explained.
The Feelings Wheel Defined
Psychologist Robert Plutchik created the Plutchik Model shown above. It shows there are 8 basic emotions: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, anticipation, anger, and disgust. Plutchik’s wheel of emotions organizes these 8 basic emotions based on the physiological purpose of each. The model is actually the little “ice cream cone” which unfolds to the emotions wheel.,
As you’ll see below, this framework helps bring clarity to emotions, which can sometimes feel mysterious and overwhelming. To improve your understanding of emotions, Plutchik’s wheel of emotions is a great place to start – and we included an interpretation guide below!
So, what do all those colors and petals mean?
Interpreting Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions
Primary: The eight sectors are designed to indicate that there are eight primary emotions: anger, anticipation, joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness and disgust.
Opposites: Each primary emotion has a polar opposite. These are based on the physiological reaction each emotion creates in animals (including humans… Plutchik studied animals!):
- Joy is the opposite of sadness. Physiology: Connect vs withdraw
- Fear is the opposite of anger. Physiology: Get small and hide vs get big and loud
- Anticipation is the opposite of surprise. Physiology: Examine closely vs jump back
- Disgust is the opposite of trust. Physiology: Reject vs embrace
Combinations: The emotions with no color represent an emotion that is a mix of the 2 primary emotions. For example, anticipation and joy combine to be optimism. Joy and trust combine to be love. Emotions are often complex, and being able to recognize when a feeling is actually a combination of two or more distinct feelings is a helpful skill.
There are also tertiary feelings, not shown on the feelings wheel, that are a combination of 3 (and maybe some feelings have 4 or more parts? Let us know what you think in the comments below),
Intensity: The cone’s vertical dimension represents intensity – emotions intensify as they move from the outside to the center of the wheel, which is also indicated by the color: The darker the shade, the more intense the emotion. For example, anger at its least level of intensity is annoyance. At its highest level of intensity, anger becomes rage. Or, a feeling of boredom can intensify to loathing if left unchecked, which is dark purple.
This is an important rule about emotions to be aware of in relationships: If left unchecked, emotions can intensify. Herein lies the wisdom of enhancing your emotional vocabulary: it’s the bedrock of effectively navigating emotions.
Plutchik’s wheel of emotions helps us look at literacy through a broader lens. Literacy means “a person’s knowledge of a particular subject or field.” So enhancing emotional literacy means not only having words for emotions, but understanding how different emotions are related to one another and how the tend to change over time.
You can read Robert Plutchik’s explanation of his model of emotions in an article that was originally published in American Scientist in 2001 and can be read on Springer International Publishing AG.
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I am an artist who has recently discovered Plutchik’s theory as I am beginning on a body of work exploring emotions. His theory is resonating with my thoughts and I am using each of his basic emotions as a starting point for each of the major works. I am struggling with how I will represent anticipation in body language and expressive line though… it’s just not as easy to tap into as anger or joy!
Close your eyes peacefully and tap your foot? Combine readiness and energy?? – some random guy from Long island
It’s really excellent and innovative way to present the model . It gives better clarity and understanding. Many thanks
Hey Kylie,
I’m currently working on body language in human-robot interaction. How did your work go?
Is it somewhere so that I can have a look? I would love to see your work.
Opening the eyes more. I personally briefly quickly close and open my eyes brows to be ready for what is to come.
Dogs show a lot of anticipation when they realuze a pleasant event is about to occur.
same with trust, they aren’t emotions which can be seen so easily
Edge of seat, eyes wide open anticipation
So, those emotions that “disturb the mind” while rich in information, are sending the wrong message. Best to pause and allow “the wiring” to engage so we close the gap lest the intensity escalate.
Sounds like the basis for most conflicts and why they often escalate.
Yes exactly
I teach people how to release stress and trauma, and often there are emotional releases. One aspect I experience is the emotions relative to states of fight, flight, and freeze.
In my research over the years, I have learned about the vast array of nerves in the viscera, and correlated that with Candace pert’s work. I am also aware of William Jame’s work on the correlations, and he postulated that we feel because we move, as Dr. Levine explained in his book, “In an Unspoken Voice.”
I want to explore more of this aspect, as it is rich, and how the intensity that alters these emotions is generated. I know where I experience intensity, and was wondering if they are different or not.
I happen to have Josh’s book on my Kindle!
I really like this emotions model, it makes us conscious about ourselfs. The greatest thing is to understand the way we think, and why we think this or other way. I wish every body to live the way they want, being conscious and happy!:)
Great article. The more we understand our emotions and their relevance the easier it is to ask ourselves “is this just my wrong thinking?”.As leaders it is paramount that we understand our people and ourselves.
This information on Plutchik’s model is new to me. I plan to do more research on it. I’m also interested in learning more about Professor McGorry. I work in a unit of a juvenile probation department that specializes in working with youth who have mental health diagnoses. Thank you for sharing this article.
I would like permission to use this as a potential newsletter article in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Thank you
Excellent article! Is there a physical object that is the Model of Emotions? I would like to purchase!
Love that idea Judy!
The link to the American Scientist article seems to be broken. Can you update it please?
Thanks Chad – was not easy to find… but here’s a link: http://74.217.243.210/issues/feature/2001/4/the-nature-of-emotions (and I corrected in the article). If you don’t have journal access, I also found that searching “american scientist nature emotions plutchik” that some people have a PDF of the article online…
Self awareness is very essence to success in the workplace.
Llega a mis manos este artículo en momentos en que pasó una encrucijada emocional que pone en riesgo mi estabilidad de tanto años. Me ha llamado poderosamente la atención la posibilidad de conocerme mejor, y ver con objetividad la realidad que me circunda, a fin de poder controlar mis emociones y lograr un mejor estado de serenidad.
When I train people here in China, we have some additional findings on this Plutchik model: 1) the color of each emotion can link with our body temperature; 2) the eight primary emotions are very similar with Chinese ancient saying of 7 emotions and the only difference is anticipation; 3) the emotions are very meaningful to buildup of corporate culture.
One comment from a corporate client is: we tried to build a family-like love culture in our company, however, we found the cliemate was not love, instead, it’s more of submission. From the Plutchik model, we understand the reason: we have much more mixture of trust and fear (which produce submission) than mixture of trust and joy (which produces love). We know what we need to do now.
Very intriguing Leslie – I particularly like the point that if you have a clear emotion-goal, the model can help you understand something of how to get there!
I’ve just recently come across this model and this comment thread in my research. This thread seems to elude to something I’m interested in knowing… You said “We know what we need to do now.”… which means, as a team or even individual, one can change that emotional state toward a target desire. I’m under the assumption, per the Emotional Scale used by NLP, that one cannot “jump” states from say Anger to Joy in minutes or even days. It takes time to literally “step through” the rungs from the most challenged emotional state to the highest positive state.
Can you describe how to utilize the wheel to change states. And in particular, the horizontal line of Anger to Fear doesn’t seem to lend to a Positive “Opposite”, so how can one “spin” the wheel to get to where they’d like to go (i.e. being Joy, Passion, Exuberance, etc… all the good, Positive, High-Energy feeling states.”
This is a wonderful tool and resource. Do you have the contact information for the person/organization to ask permission to use the image of the wheel? Thank you in advance.
Unfortunately not anymore… but I did a quick search and found this: https://www.americanscientist.org/content/request-permissions
🙂
Title:
The Nature of Emotions
Authors:
Plutchik, Robert
Publication:
American Scientist, vol. 89, Issue 4, p.344
Publication Date:
07/2001
Origin:
WEB
DOI:
10.1511/2001.4.344
Bibliographic Code:
2001AmSci..89..344P
Thank you!!!!
Reading this article, as well as the remarks i find all this rather interesting. As my life has been full of emotional trauma, at 55 most of it has, searching for answers in all of it, and to why i am the preson i am. Thank you, this all gives me another research tool to use.
Amazing piece of writing..I have great interest in EQ..getting literacy about it is great n fulfilling
Comphrehension and reading are the most important tools of it all. To solve a problem is the most valuable emotion.
Wow Everyone’s mind is same here. Is this the 1% club? Nice article.
Only “aggressiveness” and “submissiveness” are not emotions. They are behaviors which come from patterns of thinking and emotions such as anger/frustration/fear/etc.
I disagree. I think a person can feel aggressive, like they want to act aggressively, but not act on it. Perhaps a better term would be irritable, tense, reactive. I think submissiveness should just say submissive.
I view this a bit different. For me, Love is abstract. I then conclude that Aggressiveness and Submissiveness are also abstracts. The emotions that contribute to them in the color part of the wheel is what is exuded or rather mirrored out from the person. Also realizing, that the mirror is from those they associate who provide a mirror to them and thus the message their subconscious is receiving…making the emotion your friend, giving it a personality, giving it a smiley face or other, then telling it and asking it… “Thank you X for showing up, what are you hear to tell me?”
This is the most important question we can ask ourselves when looking inward at our mirror… Me: Thank you Anger (emotion) for showing up, what are you here to tell me? Answer: I’m here because I am being blocked from finding Love (the abstract). Me: Okay, thank you for that. What activities/actions can I do to gain more emotions that surround Love? … what activity/actions can I do that are Joyous to me? What actions can I do to create warmth in myself so that I may gain “Trust”…what learning can I do to become more “accepting”…perhaps mirror work will help? perhaps building qualities around Trust, Acceptance, or Serenity. Then, I would examine whether or not those qualities that I’m building align with my Values, thus building my Self-Concept of me…then, my self-esteem naturally raises as a benefit and eventually, my block is removed and my anger regarding that experience is diminished.
Behaviors come from the disregulation of emotions.
The emotion wheel shown (Plutchik’s) is interesting and useful, but is missing many common sensations we all experience in life, such as compassion, hunger, and so on. I’d suggest to look at the Pan-Affect Chart, which aims to better cover all of our pleasant and unpleasant feelings (without going too overboard): https://sudism.org/pan-affect-chart/ Cheers, Pierre.
This information is not very clear to me at this point.
The more we understand our emotions and their relevance the easier it is to ask ourselves, “Is this just my wrong thinking?” As educators it is crucial that we understand not only our student population but who we are too.
Why the purpose and meaning of emotions is not downloading.
Where does Nervous fit in to the emotional wheel
Sorry about the download, emailed you! “Nervous” would probably be in the Fear section?
How to express to your emotion
The interactive model is not displayed fully on the page and you cannot use it as is at the moment. You can only click on the very tip of the model, the light yellow point.
It takes a really long time to download. It’s working now
We had some issues with the system but now seems stable
i should know my self very good & control my feeling to success in work & life
Love the information and how the words and emotions grow stronger towards the middle of the circle. It really made me realize how our emotions can escalate
Hello,
Where can we find the interactive Wheel you launched in August this year? It is quite common for the website to change and not to find articles.
Please let me know in a dedicated link where if the Interactive animation of the wheel.
Thank you,
Madalina
It loaded..:D..yeeey.
Hi Madalina – here’s the shortcut: http://6sec.org/a/plutchik — it’s on the top of this page.
🙂
I do love it!
Could you fix the diagram?
Is it working now for you?
What’s Going down i’m new to this, I stumbled
upon this I’ve found It absolutely useful and it has
helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & help different customers
like its aided me. Good job.