Feelings

Feelings are the subjective experience of affective states. They arise from the integration of emotional arousal, bodily sensations, and cognitive interpretation and are reported as what a person feels in a given moment. In everyday language, "feeling" and "emotion" are often used interchangeably, but many theories distinguish feelings as the conscious experience from the broader emotion process.

Emotions typically involve rapid appraisal of significance, physiological changes, and readiness for action, whereas a feeling is the conscious awareness of that experience. Moods are more diffuse, longer-lasting affective states not necessarily tied to a specific trigger.

Neuroscience links feelings to brain regions such as the amygdala, insula, prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate, which together process salience, body states, and value. Neurochemistry (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins) modulates affect. Researchers study feelings using self-report scales, diaries, and physiological measures, while acknowledging subjectivity and cultural influences.

Feelings influence decision making, memory encoding, and social behavior. They provide signals about needs, goals, and safety, and they are shaped by expectations, past experiences, and social context. Emotion regulation—the ability to modulate feelings—plays a key role in mental health.

Because language and culture differ, people describe and interpret feelings in diverse ways. Understanding feelings involves psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and anthropology, reflecting their central place in human experience.