What Is the Emotions Wheel and How Can It Help You?

The Emotions Wheel offers a comprehensive visual guide to understanding and identifying a wide range of emotions, adapted from Robert Plutchik's Emotion Wheel, first published in 1980.

What’s the Emotions Wheel?

The emotions wheel is an effective tool that helps you identify and express your feelings more clearly. Created by psychologist Robert Plutchik back in 1980, it's like a map for your emotions. The wheel breaks down feelings into eight main categories: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, and anticipation.

Emotions on the wheel can mix, leading to more complex feelings. You might also feel an emotion that masks other underlying emotions you're unaware of. For example, you might feel angry, but behind your anger is actually frustration and hurt.

How It Works

The emotions wheel has three levels, each showing different intensities of feelings. In the center, you’ll find the most intense emotions—the ones that can hit you hard. As you move outward, the middle layer shows more detailed feelings, helping you understand what you might be experiencing in the moment. The outer ring features softer emotions, which are often easy to overlook but still play a big role in how you feel. This layered design not only helps you identify your emotions but also encourages you to talk about them more openly.

Why Use the Emotions Wheel?

If you use the emotions wheel regularly, it can seriously boost your emotional intelligence. It helps you pinpoint what you’re feeling, which is the first step to expressing those feelings effectively. This practice can lead to more honest conversations about your emotions, both with yourself and with friends. Over time, it can improve your emotional management skills, making it easier to handle tough situations.

Let's Look at an Example

Imagine you had plans to hang out with friends, but at the last minute, they canceled. At first, you might feel a burst of anger and hurt. Instead of reacting straight away, you grab the emotions wheel to figure out what you're really feeling.

You see your main emotion as anger, but as you look closer, you notice feelings of disappointment, loneliness, and rejection hiding underneath. Understanding these nuances helps you realize you’re not just angry—you’re also feeling left out and sad.

With this awareness, you can talk honestly with a friend, sharing that you felt excluded, and ask to make plans next time. Using the wheel allows you to better understand your emotions and express them clearly, helping you feel more connected and in control.

In a Nutshell

The emotions wheel is like a detailed guide to your feelings. It makes it easier to recognize, share, and understand what you’re going through. This tool not only helps you get a grip on your own emotions but also lets you connect better with what others are feeling. By promoting emotional awareness, the emotions wheel can strengthen your relationships and improve your overall emotional health, making it a must-have resource for anyone looking to dive deeper into their emotional life.