How to use the emotion wheel to improve your well-being

Feelings are complicated. Sometimes, you may feel two things at once, while other times, you may not know how you’re feeling or what to do about it. To understand what’s happening beneath the surface, psychologist Robert Plutchik simplified the range of potential emotional states into a visual model called the emotion wheel. 

Plutchik’s wheel of emotions depicts eight core emotions that are at the heart of our experiences, reactions, and sensations. You can use this wheel as a starting point to dissect why you feel the way you feel, what your feelings are trying to tell you, and what to do about it.

How does an emotion wheel work?

Plutchik’s version of the emotion wheel (Source)

Plutchik’s emotion wheel is shaped like a colorful flower. The eight core emotions make up the flower’s center, and each petal conveys different levels (or intensities) of those emotions. The space between two petals represents how those emotions can be combined.

The different intensity levels are sometimes described as the following: 

• Primary emotions: Primary emotions are located in the second circle from the middle and are considered the basis for all other emotions. These are the eight core emotions identified by Plutchik, and all of the other emotions on the wheel stem from these.
• Secondary emotions: Secondary emotions make up the outer ring. These emotions build off the primary emotions and are depicted in a lighter color because they’re lower in intensity than the primary emotions. For example, apprehension is a milder form of fear, which is why it’s located in the outermost ring.
• Tertiary emotions: In the innermost layer are tertiary emotions, which also build off the primary emotions but have more intensity. Sticking with the example related to fear, terror — which is shown in the innermost layer — is a more intense version of fear.

Here’s a detailed look at the primary emotions and their related secondary and tertiary emotions:

• Sadness: includes grief and pensiveness
• Disgust: includes loathing and boredom
• Anger: includes rage and annoyance
• Anticipation: includes vigilance and interest
• Joy: includes ecstasy and serenity
• Fear: includes terror and apprehension
• Surprise: includes amazement and distraction
• Trust: includes admiration and acceptance

In everyday interactions, you may naturally make use of distinctions like these between emotions to describe your feelings. For example, you may have had a conversation with someone that sounded like this:

Person: “You must be really sad that it didn’t turn out the way you wanted.”

You: “I’m not really sad, just disappointed.”

In some ways, what you’re expressing here is the nuance of the emotion wheel. You are saying that your emotion isn’t intense enough to be sadness, which is a core emotion. Instead, you’re on the outer edges of the core feeling or maybe feeling a blend of one or more different emotions.

Opposite emotions

If you look at the emotions wheel, you’ll see that each of the core emotions is directly across from its polar opposite. The emotions pair up in the following ways:

• Joy and sadness; ecstasy and grief
• Trust and disgust; admiration and loathing
• Anger and fear; rage and terror
• Anticipation and surprise; vigilance and amazement 

Seeing these opposites, also called opposite dyads, represented visually can help you better understand your feelings and reactions to others. 

Feelings wheel versus emotion wheel

Plutchik’s wheel of emotions was first proposed in 1980. Two years later, in 1982, psychologist Gloria Willcox created the feelings wheel version with only six core feelings. The two models are similar, with the main difference being the number of core emotions in the center. 

How to use the emotion wheel

The emotion wheel can be helpful if you’re experiencing strong emotions but can’t put a name to them. Here are some steps you can take to make the most of using the emotions wheel to identify how you’re feeling.

1. Save a version of the emotion wheel: Consider printing a copy of the emotion wheel, downloading the image onto your phone, or bookmarking this page so that you have a copy the next time you aren’t quite sure what you’re feeling. 
2. Check-in on how you’re feeling: Now that you have the wheel of emotions in front of you, try to identify which primary or basic emotion on the wheel best describes your current feeling. It may be easiest to start by choosing one of the eight core emotions because they’re broader. After that, you can narrow it down.
3. Communicate your emotions: Once you’ve identified the exact emotion (or emotions) you’re feeling, try sharing your findings with someone you trust. The emotion wheel is meant to assist you with expressing emotions by creating common connective language. Talking through them can help you pinpoint why you might be feeling this way and develop coping mechanisms that can help. It can also create a bonding experience that can help strengthen your interpersonal relationships.
4. Take action: Understanding your different emotions and the “why” behind them can better prepare you to take the appropriate actions. Using the wheel of emotions can help you slow down and carefully consider the situation rather than being reactive. 

How to put the emotion wheel into practice

It’s helpful to understand the theory of constructed emotion to understand how feelings work.

As psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett outlines in the book How Emotions Are Made, the theory of constructed emotions explains that feelings aren’t just reactions. Instead, they are how your brain makes sense of your physical sensations and the information around you. 

When your brain identifies something you need to respond to, you have a physical response. For example, when you feel emotionally stressed, your heartbeat quickens. The context of the situation and your prior experience influence whether you interpret the sensation as fear, anger, or anticipation.

Using a tool like the emotion wheel can help you get more granular in your understanding of how you feel. Identifying your emotional state puts you in a better position to respond, not react, which can help promote your emotional health while improving your connection with others.

Using the emotion wheel to improve your mental well-being

Here are six ways you can use the emotion wheel to develop your relationship with yourself and those around you.

1. As a tool for labeling

Labeling is a powerful tool for stopping emotional spirals in their tracks. Instead of pushing feelings away, labeling can help you make sense of them.

Emotions and logical thought occur in two different parts of the brain. Labeling pulls you out of the emotional circuit and pushes your thoughts into the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that helps you reason and problem-solve.

Try using the emotion wheel any time you notice you’re feeling something, whether positive or negative. The more you practice labeling your feelings, the better you can choose how you respond. 

2. As a tool for self-awareness

When you begin paying attention to your feelings, whether through journaling, coaching, or other types of Inner Work®, you develop self-awareness. 

The feeling wheel can help you expand your emotional vocabulary.

For example, say you’re feeling burned out and are having difficulty staying interested and engaged at work. You could look up “optimism” on the emotion wheel and see it’s a mix of joy and anticipation. 

Knowing the primary emotion(s) under your surface feelings can help you understand the triggers behind your emotional response.  

3. As a tool for emotional regulation

Emotional regulation is the ability to stay calm, collected, and centered despite stress. People with strong emotional regulation skills are more resilient and have better team performance.

Unfortunately, many people feel the first stirrings of discomfort and shut down. Instead of responding to stress by trying to minimize it, you can use the emotion wheel to identify your emotional needs.

Using the emotion wheel to improve your connection with others

4. As a communication tool

If you have trouble explaining how you feel to others, an emotion wheel can help open up conversations. Understanding how primary emotions can combine is a good way to start. 

For example, if you’re feeling remorse, Plutchik’s wheel of emotions categorizes that as disgust plus sadness. From there, you can begin to talk about what’s causing each emotion.

5. As a tool to understand others

Not everyone has an easy time or feels safe expressing different emotions. Sometimes, when someone says something, you can tell there’s more going on beneath the surface. However, you may not know exactly what it is. What might come across loud and clear is the primary emotion. 

When you understand that the nuance of secondary and tertiary emotions can be overpowered by primary emotions, it’s easier to understand people’s behavior. 

This often happens with anger and sadness. For example, if you have a difficult coworker who always seems angry and irritated, you may find that their hostility is masking feelings of being left out or overwhelmed.

It’s not your job to psychoanalyze those around you. But, understanding how different emotions provide insight into people’s behavior can help you develop your emotional intelligence.

6. As a learning tool with children

Kids seem to be innately emotionally aware. But even if they’re in tune with their feelings, they often don’t have the emotional vocabulary to express them. 

If you practice mindful parenting techniques or want a tool to understand your children better, an emotion wheel can be helpful. Rather than limiting kids to a few main feelings, emotion wheels help them identify the range of emotions they can experience.

Benefits of the emotion wheel

Using an emotion wheel to navigate daily life can come with a host of benefits to both your personal and professional path. These include the following:

• Increased self-awareness: The emotion wheel is a useful tool for building self-awareness because it makes it easier to identify and express your feelings. It can also provide insight into why you feel a certain way.
• Improved self-regulation: Identifying your basic emotions using the emotions wheel is the first step to becoming better at regulating your feelings and reaching your emotional goals.
• Better communication with others: Regardless of whether you or someone else is feeling the emotion, identifying emotions with the emotion wheel can improve your emotional literacy. It can help you more effectively communicate with others about the situation by helping you choose the right words.
• Increased empathy: The emotion wheel increases your emotional awareness by helping you better understand and relate to the feelings of others, which helps fuel cognitive empathy.
• Improved conflict management: When you’re in the midst of a conflict, the emotion wheel can help you take a step back to understand why emotions are running high. This gives you a better chance at resolving them before they turn reactive. 
• Healthier relationships: Communication, empathy, and conflict management are all essential pieces of developing healthy relationships, and they are all improved by your ability to recognize your emotions.
• Pattern recognition: Using the emotion wheel consistently can help you uncover and recognize your emotional patterns. If your basic emotions are regularly trending negative, it may be a sign to engage a professional to help you create change.

Use the emotion wheel to spark lasting personal growth

Feelings and emotions aren’t something to suppress. Part of emotional well-being is using your feelings to identify where you are out of alignment with your needs and personal values. 

When you use the emotion wheel to stop and listen to your feelings, you develop the emotional awareness to understand what they’re telling you. Unraveling your feelings can help you more effectively manage your stress, communicate with others, and develop self-compassion. 

If you need assistance using the emotion wheel to understand and address your feelings, try seeking outside help from a coach. 

Keep your life on track with a BetterUp Coach to discover what your feelings are really trying to say.