This Emotion May Be the Most Complex of All
There’s one emotion that I rarely see on the faces of the clients in my office—especially in the beginning. It’s happiness. It’s a state which we all pursue, but for some, it remains elusive. Why is that? To experience happiness, one must be pleased with his or her current situation. It’s a bit like Christmas morning. Everyone opens their gifts and likes what they received. It’s a happy moment for sure. There are times, however, when that desired toy breaks, the shirt does not fit, or the giver ended up purchasing the wrong brand. Happiness quickly evaporates and we are back to a state of dis-ease. Happiness we discover is fleeting at best. While it may be fleeting, it does not mean we should not enjoy it when it comes. The study below suggests that it may be the most complex emotion of all. It appears to vary in intensity according to the study.
From PSYBLOG: The face can express this emotion in 17 difference ways. Happiness can be expressed in 17 ways on the face, over half the total number of expressions we use for all emotions, new research finds. We change the type of happiness we convey by adjusting the size of our smile and the crinkles that appear around our eyes. In contrast, disgust, only requires one facial expression, while fear has three and there are five each for anger and sadness. Happiness, though, is way out in front, said Professor Aleix Martinez, study co-author: “This was delightful to discover, because it speaks to the complex nature of happiness.” The conclusions come from a study of over 7 million images collected from 31 different countries. It was inspired by the ancient idea that there are only around 7 or 8 emotions.
Professor Martinez said: “To think that humans are only capable of eight emotions is absurd. We are complex creatures. What about the different forms of joy? We experience the world on a much deeper level than just eight emotions.” The results of the study showed that there are 35 separate facial expression that convey how we are feeling to others across all these cultures. Professor Martinez said: “We were shocked, I thought there would be way, way more.” The researchers found only eight expressions that are used in almost all cultures. Happiness, though, continually emerged as the most varied. It suggests happiness is the most complex emotion, if you consider the number of facial expressions required to show its variety. Professor Martinez thinks it is because happiness helps bind people together, perhaps more than other emotions: “Happiness acts as a social glue and needs the complexity of different facial expressions; disgust is just that: disgust.”
The study was published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing (Srinivasan et al., 2018).
So what do we do when our circumstances are not pleasing and happiness remains elusive? Check back here for the answer. Is there another state of being to pursue? If you or a friend are struggling today with a painful state of being, reach out to me at 214-666-8127, ext. 700. I am glad to listen and provide direction.
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Brannon La Force, LPC-S & Associates is currently accepting applications for LPCi Supervision. Mr. La Force has over 25 years of experience as a mental health professional and has been a supervisor since 1997. His areas of expertise include borderline personality disorder, addictions, trauma, crisis counseling, and relationship issues. There are opportunities to co-lead a DBT group as well as a Men’s Issues group. His training is particularly suited for those interested in establishing a private practice. If you are interested, please submit a letter of interest and resume to Alex@brannonlaforce.com
Learn MoreFive Ways to Change Your Life for the Better
While change is hard, the following five tips will help:
- Establish realistic short-term goals.
- Discuss the goals with friends and family.
- Choose a diet that is healthy for heart and brain. This should include more omega fatty acids and less processed meat and lower sugar intake.
- Avoid rapid weight loss diets.
- Be flexible: if one thing doesn’t work, try something else.
Dr Carolyn Kaloostian of the Keck School of Medicine at USC, said it can be easy to get distracted from your goals:
“These start-of-the-year priorities unfortunately get sidelined due to competing obligations, responsibilities, and commitments from work or family.”
Doing things with other people can help, said Dr Kaloostian:
“I see some of the best results from patients who join a team and compete with others in obstacles races and runs.
They train together, help each other through injuries, develop great friendships due to similar goals, and have short-term goals to succeed at the upcoming course.”
Start with something easy and do-able, Dr Kaloostian recommends:
“For those who are new to getting moving, our so-called ‘couch potatoes,’
I strongly recommend starting with a short low-intensity fast-paced walk, about 15 minutes daily after stretching of course, to get into the groove and see how good it feels to just get moving.
It would be dangerous to jump into an intense workout regimen which may result in injuries.”
Be realistic about goals, but try to stay optimistic, said Dr Kaloostian:
“Approach each day with gratitude and refresh your commitment to this goal each morning.
Try to avoid adding new projects to your to-do list as this may pull you away from your goal.”
Dr Carolyn Kaloostian is the clinical assistant professor of family medicine and geriatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.