Gefühle

Gefühle is the German term for feelings or emotions and refers to the subjective experiences of affect that people have in response to events, thoughts, or memories. In everyday language it covers a broad range of internal states, from momentary sensations to longer-lasting emotional experiences.

In psychology, a distinction is often made between emotions and feelings. Emotions are typically understood as brief, intense states that arise in response to stimuli and are associated with physiological arousal and rapid appraisal. Feelings (Gefühle) are the conscious, subjective experience of those states. Mood (Stimmung) refers to longer-lasting affective states that can color perception and behavior without a direct, immediate trigger.

Gefühle consist of several components: cognitive appraisal of a situation, physiological arousal, experiential sensation, and expressive behavior such as facial expressions or actions. Brain networks involving the limbic system, including the amygdala, along with prefrontal regions, contribute to the generation and regulation of feelings.

Basic emotion theory proposes a small set of universal Gefühle, such as Freude (joy), Traurigkeit (sadness), Angst (fear), Wut (anger), Überraschung (surprise), and Ekel (disgust), with some models adding Verachtung (contempt). More recent approaches emphasize a continuum of affect and the way cultures, language, and context shape nuanced feelings.

Culture and social norms influence how Gefühle are expressed and regulated. Display rules determine appropriate expression in different settings, while language provides a rich vocabulary for nuanced feelings. Emotional regulation—strategies to modulate Gefühle—affects well-being and mental health.