🌟 Understanding Basic Emotions: What Damasio and Ekman Teach Us About How We Feel

 Have you ever felt your heart race when you were scared, or smiled without even thinking when something made you happy? The truth is that emotions like these are not random—they are part of how our brain and body keep us alive, healthy, and connected. Two scientists, Antonio Damasio and Paul Ekman, have helped us understand these deep, universal emotions that all humans share.

🧠 Damasio: Emotions as the Body’s Way of Thinking

According to Antonio Damasio (2003), emotions are not just “feelings” in our heads. They are biological signals—the body’s natural reactions that help us survive. Damasio explains that emotions and feelings are connected but not the same.

• Emotions happen first. They are physical and automatic—like your heart pounding when you’re afraid.
• Feelings come next. They are your mind’s awareness of those emotions—like realizing, “Oh, I’m scared!”

To put it simply, emotions happen in the theatre of the body, and feelings happen in the theatre of the mind (Damasio, 2003).

Damasio calls six of these primary or basic emotions—anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. These are “innate,” meaning we are born with them, not taught. They are part of what he calls our “life-regulation system,” the body’s way of keeping us balanced and safe. For example:

• Fear helps us avoid danger.
• Anger gives us energy to defend ourselves.
• Sadness helps us slow down and reflect when we lose something important.
• Happiness encourages us to connect with others and enjoy life.

And it is that all these emotions are deeply linked to how our brain and body work together. Damasio (2003) believes that the mind is embodied—that means it comes from the body and cannot exist without it. When we feel joy or pain, it’s not just “in our head”; it’s a message from our whole body saying, “Pay attention—this matters.”

😊 Ekman: The Face of Universal Emotions

Now, let’s move from the inside of the body to the face. Psychologist Paul Ekman (1992) studied people from many different cultures and found something amazing: everyone shows and recognizes the same basic emotions through facial expressions.

According to Ekman, the seven universal emotions are: anger, contempt, disgust, enjoyment (happiness), fear, sadness, and surprise.

No matter where we live or what language we speak, these emotions look the same on our faces. Try it—you can probably tell when someone looks surprised even if they say nothing at all.

Ekman discovered that emotions are automatic reactions that help us respond to important events. For example, when we see danger, our brain instantly triggers fear before we even have time to think. “Emotions,” he says, “prepare us to deal with important events without having to think about them” (Ekman, 1999).

Each emotion has its own body signals and facial expressions:

• Fear: wide eyes and tense muscles, ready to act.
• Happiness: a genuine smile that reaches the eyes.
• Anger: a frown and a firm jaw.
• Sadness: drooping eyelids and a slower posture.

The truth is that these expressions help others understand how we feel—and help us connect emotionally, even without words.

🔍 How Both Scientists See Emotions

Both Damasio and Ekman agree that emotions are essential for survival and connection.

• Damasio shows that emotions come from deep inside the body and help our mind regulate life.
• Ekman shows that emotions are visible on the outside, helping us communicate and understand one another.

Imagine a time you were surprised by a birthday gift. Your body might jump (a Damasio-style emotion), and your face might open wide in shock and delight (an Ekman-style expression). Both reactions are part of the same human story: the mind and body working together to express what matters most.

💬 Why Emotions Matter

Emotions are not weaknesses; they are wisdom signals. They tell us what our body and heart need. The next time you feel fear, joy, or sadness, remember: these emotions are ancient tools your body uses to guide you.

In addition, being aware of our emotions—what Ekman calls emotional awareness—helps us choose better responses. We may not control what we feel, but we can learn to respond thoughtfully, not just react. That’s how we build emotional strength and empathy.

🌍 In Summary

Damasio helps us understand how emotions and feelings are part of the same living system, rooted in the body and brain. Ekman helps us see how these emotions connect us across cultures, through shared facial expressions and universal reactions.

Together, they show that to be emotional is to be beautifully human. Our feelings are not mistakes—they are messages from our living, thinking, feeling selves that help us survive, connect, and grow.

📚 References

Damasio, A. (2003). Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain. New York, NY: Harcourt.

Ekman, P. (1992). An Argument for Basic Emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 6(3–4), 169–200.

Ekman, P. (1999). Basic Emotions. In T. Dalgleish & M. Power (Eds.), Handbook of Cognition and Emotion (pp. 45–60). John Wiley & Sons.