A taxonomy of positive emotions. (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Keltner, Dacher; Cowen, Alan
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in behavioral sciences. Volume 39(2021)
• Page Start: 216
• Page End: 221
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: Psychology -- Periodicals; 150.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.04.013
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-1546

Abstract

Highlights: Emotions help humans form attachments, friendships, hierarchies, and collectives. Emotional experience guides social moral judgments of the present context. Emotional expression coordinates face-to-face interactions. Positive emotions involve a neurophysiology of connection, openness, and exploration. Top-down and computational approaches converge on distinct patterns of experience, expression and neurophysiology for at least 11 positive emotions. Abstract : Within social functionalist theory (SFT), emotions structure attachment relations, cooperative alliances, hierarchies, and collectives. Within this line of thinking, a rich array of positive emotions enable the formation and negotiation of these relationships. Guided by these arguments, we synthesize how top-down confirmatory studies and data-driven, computational studies converge on evidence for 11 positive emotions with distinct experience, expression, and physiology. This taxonomy includes amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, desire, love, joy, interest, pride, relief, and triumph. We conclude by considering how recent taxonomic efforts will advance emotion science in mapping the distinct forms and functions of the positive emotions.