Negative Emotions: List & 158 Examples (+ PDF)What are negative emotions? What are some examples of negative emotions? And how do you control, process, and release them? Get a negative emotions list and learn all about negative emotions.
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Negative emotions are a part of life. But they can also be tricky. They don't feel good, so we often want to get rid of them as quickly and effectively as possible. But the way we do this is actually really important—for example, we can make ourselves feel worse if we suppress or repress our negative emotions. So, in this article, we'll explore negative emotions in detail to learn more about what they are and how to deal with them.
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List of Negative Emotions PDF
If you want this negative emotion list as a word document, PDF, or Excel, just download the files below.
| printable-list-of-negative-emotions.docx |
| printable-list-of-negative-emotions.pdf |
| printable-list-of-negative-emotions.xlsx |
Printable List of Positive and Negative Emotions
If you want a list of all emotions, both positive and negative, here is a downloadable list of them.
| printable-list-of-emotions.docx |
| printable-list-of-emotions.pdf |
Other Negative Emotion Words
In addition to negative emotions themselves, there are a lot of phrases we say that indicate we're feeling negatively. Here are a few:
- feeling cheesed off
- having a desire to disappear
- having the heebie-jeebies
- feeling like a fraud
- feeling miffed
- going postal
- feeling gaslighted
How Negative Emotions Affect Your Health
We might assume that negative emotions are bad for our health, but it's not quite that simple. As you learned earlier, what we do with our negative emotions may be the most important thing. Whether we express, suppress, or repress our negative emotions makes a big difference for our health (with suppression and repression being the less healthy choices). In addition, whether or not we experience positive emotions along with our negative emotions makes a big difference (Hershfield, Scheibe, Sims, & Carstensen, 2013).
Negative emotions + positive emotions
Some research suggests that if we can feel some positive emotions along with our negative emotions, this might actually be the best option. We get the benefits of negative emotions without so many of the pitfalls. As the researchers put it, this strategy of "taking the good with the bad" might be the best for our health because we are able to deal with and process the negative emotions and possibly even find some good in bad experiences (Hershfield, Scheibe, Sims, & Carstensen, 2013).
Why might this be? Well, some people speculate this is might be because our attention narrows when dealing with negative situations. We have to process information quickly and without a lot of mental or social resources (Hershfield, Scheibe, Sims, & Carstensen, 2013). On the flip side, positive emotions broaden and build our resources—for example, we're able to come up with more creative solutions and gain the support of others more easily when we experience positive emotions. This makes positive emotions a great companion to negative emotions.
Negative emotions + positive emotions
Some research suggests that if we can feel some positive emotions along with our negative emotions, this might actually be the best option. We get the benefits of negative emotions without so many of the pitfalls. As the researchers put it, this strategy of "taking the good with the bad" might be the best for our health because we are able to deal with and process the negative emotions and possibly even find some good in bad experiences (Hershfield, Scheibe, Sims, & Carstensen, 2013).
Why might this be? Well, some people speculate this is might be because our attention narrows when dealing with negative situations. We have to process information quickly and without a lot of mental or social resources (Hershfield, Scheibe, Sims, & Carstensen, 2013). On the flip side, positive emotions broaden and build our resources—for example, we're able to come up with more creative solutions and gain the support of others more easily when we experience positive emotions. This makes positive emotions a great companion to negative emotions.
How to Control Negative Emotions
Even though negative emotions can have some benefits, there may be many times when we want to control them. Luckily, the truth is that we actually have a lot of control over our emotions. We can decrease negative emotions and increase positive emotions through processes known as emotion regulation. There are tons of emotion regulation strategies—some effective; some not so effective.
Some of the most well-known, effective emotional control strategies are:
Some well-known ineffective emotional control strategies are:
Some of the most well-known, effective emotional control strategies are:
- Reappraisal: Reframing a negative experience in a more positive light.
- Acceptance: Letting our negative emotions be just as they are is, ironically, a fairly effective strategy for reducing them.
- Savoring: Noticing and holding onto positive emotions.
Some well-known ineffective emotional control strategies are:
- Suppression: Not expressing your emotions on your face or in words.
- Experiential Avoidance: Often this involves engaging in unhealthy behavior like drug use, alcohol use, over-eating, and under-eating, but it can also include things like "retail therapy" or other avoidance strategies.
- Rumination: Replaying negative thoughts in your mind over and over again.
How to Deal With Negative Emotions
We talked a bit about how negative emotions have important functions, especially social functions. And we just talked above about how to control our emotions effectively. To deal with emotions effectively, these two things need to be balanced.
For example, if someone is mistreating us and we're angry yet we try to implement the emotion regulation strategy of acceptance, we might unintentionally cut our anger short, preventing us from standing up for ourselves and stopping any further mistreatment. Or, if we're feeling afraid, our gut might be telling us that we need to pay attention to possible threats. Perhaps this is why having a little bit of anxiety actually helps improve our effort and performance (Hardy & Hutchinson, 2007).
So, controlling our negative emotions might not actually be the best plan of action, at least not all the time. Instead, we might be better served by processing and then releasing negative emotions. This way, they hopefully won't pop back up or cause problems in other areas of our lives.
For example, if someone is mistreating us and we're angry yet we try to implement the emotion regulation strategy of acceptance, we might unintentionally cut our anger short, preventing us from standing up for ourselves and stopping any further mistreatment. Or, if we're feeling afraid, our gut might be telling us that we need to pay attention to possible threats. Perhaps this is why having a little bit of anxiety actually helps improve our effort and performance (Hardy & Hutchinson, 2007).
So, controlling our negative emotions might not actually be the best plan of action, at least not all the time. Instead, we might be better served by processing and then releasing negative emotions. This way, they hopefully won't pop back up or cause problems in other areas of our lives.
Video: How To Deal With Strong Negative Emotions
How to Process Negative Emotions
Although we generally don't like being around someone who is experiencing negative emotions, there is a right time and place to express our negative emotions. More specifically, when we express a need that involves negative emotions, we are actually more likely to elicit the help we need, facilitate intimacy, and even build larger social networks (Graham, Huang, Clark, & Helgeson, 2008).
By using our negative emotions in the functional ways that they were designed for, we can benefit more from having them. So here are some tips for how to process your negative emotions.
By using our negative emotions in the functional ways that they were designed for, we can benefit more from having them. So here are some tips for how to process your negative emotions.
- Practice self-awareness. If you're having a negative emotion, the first step is to understand why. What caused the emotion? What could be done to address the cause of the emotion? How might you prevent that cause from happening again?
- Make an action plan. Determine what actions you can take to eliminate the causes of your negative emotions. For example, if someone did something hurtful, how will you communicate to them how you feel and why you'd like them to change? (Keep in mind that not all causes of negative emotions can be changed. But some of them can.)
- Take action. Do what you can to reduce or eliminate the causes of your negative emotions. Often, our negative emotions come from other people. So often, this involves communicating your needs carefully and thoughtfully.
- Accept. If there are no actions you can reasonably take, then this is a good time to practice acceptance.
How to Release Negative Emotions
Once you know where your negative emotions are coming from, have determined what can be done with them, and have taken any potentially beneficial actions, it's time to release them. Holding onto negative emotions by ruminating or worrying does more harm than good. So try to practice letting go.
It may be helpful to take a moment for yourself, take some deep breaths, and imagine the negative emotion decreasing in size and intensity. Deep breathing helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can help calm high-intensity negative emotions like anxiety or anger.
If you continue to have any self-focused negative emotions, like shame or guilt, you may benefit from practicing self-compassion. We all deserve a little kindness and compassion, and by gently reminding ourselves of our inherent value, we may be able to dissolve some self-focused negative emotions.
Here's an audio/video track that may help you calm your mind as you release negative thoughts and emotions:
It may be helpful to take a moment for yourself, take some deep breaths, and imagine the negative emotion decreasing in size and intensity. Deep breathing helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can help calm high-intensity negative emotions like anxiety or anger.
If you continue to have any self-focused negative emotions, like shame or guilt, you may benefit from practicing self-compassion. We all deserve a little kindness and compassion, and by gently reminding ourselves of our inherent value, we may be able to dissolve some self-focused negative emotions.
Here's an audio/video track that may help you calm your mind as you release negative thoughts and emotions:
More Articles Related to Negative Emotions
Want to gain even more insights related to emotions? Here are a few helpful articles:
- Emotion: Definition, Theories, and List of Emotions
- Emotional Skills: 25 Skills That Improve Your Life
- The Emotion Wheel: Purpose, Definition, and Uses
- Positive Emotions: List, 90+ Examples, Theories, & Tips
- Emotional Lability: Definition, Symptoms, & Causes
- Emotional Unavailability: Definition, Causes, & Signs
- Emotional Detachment: Definition, Causes & Signs
- Emotional Numbness: Definition, Causes & How to Deal With It
- Emotional Dysregulation: Definition, Examples, And Tips
Books on Negative Emotions
Want to read more? Here are some books to explore:
- Guilt, Shame, and Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming Negative Emotions
- Overthinking: How To Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety And Emotional Stress, Stop Negative Thinking. Use Positive Energy To Control Your Thoughts Change Your Habits And Mindset
- Addicted to the Monkey Mind: Change the Programming That Sabotages Your Life
- Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life
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References
- Ekman, P. (1999). Basic emotions. Handbook of cognition and emotion, 98(45-60), 16.
- Graham, S. M., Huang, J. Y., Clark, M. S., & Helgeson, V. S. (2008). The positives of negative emotions: Willingness to express negative emotions promotes relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(3), 394-406.
- Hardy, L., & Hutchinson, A. (2007). Effects of performance anxiety on effort and performance in rock climbing: A test of processing efficiency theory. Anxiety, stress, and coping, 20(2), 147-161.
- Hershfield, H. E., Scheibe, S., Sims, T. L., & Carstensen, L. L. (2013). When feeling bad can be good: Mixed emotions benefit physical health across adulthood. Social psychological and personality science, 4(1), 54-61.
- Keltner, D., & Kring, A. M. (1998). Emotion, social function, and psychopathology. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 320-342.
- Tracy, J. L., & Randles, D. (2011). Four models of basic emotions: a review of Ekman and Cordaro, Izard, Levenson, and Panksepp and Watt. Emotion review, 3(4), 397-405.
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