Etymology, Definitions, and Differentiation
The word "emotion" dates back to 1579, when it was adapted from the French word émouvoir, which means "to stir up". However, the earliest precursors of the word likely date back to the very origins of language.
Emotions have been described as discrete and consistent responses to internal or external events which have a particular significance for the organism. Emotions are brief in duration and consist of a coordinated set of responses, which may include verbal, physiological, behavioural, and neural mechanisms. Emotions have also been described as biologically given and a result of evolution because of they provided good solutions to ancient and recurring problems that faced our ancestors.
Emotion can be differentiated from a number of similar constructs within the field of affective neuroscience:
- Feelings are best understood as a subjective representation of emotions, private to the individual experiencing them.
- Moods are diffuse affective states that generally last for much longer durations than emotions and are also usually less intense than emotions.
- Affect is an encompassing term, used to describe the topics of emotion, feelings, and moods together, even though it is commonly used interchangeably with emotion.
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