Emotion Wheel: What It Is and How to Use One

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPlutchik’s Wheel of EmotionsOther Emotion WheelsHow to Use an Emotion Wheel

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

Other Emotion Wheels

How to Use an Emotion Wheel

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Have you ever had trouble pinpointing the exact feeling you were feeling? It may be easy to say when you feel happy, sad, or angry. However, humans are complicated beings who experience a wide range of emotions. It can be difficult to have complete clarity of all your emotions.

One of the signs ofemotional intelligenceis the ability to recognize and identify your own emotions and what others are feeling. A greater understanding of emotions can lead to better communication skills, improved relationships, and healthier coping abilities.

An emotion wheel is a tool that can be used to identify and understand feelings.Find out more about the history of the emotion wheel, different versions of it and how to use it in your life.

Which Human Emotion Are You? Take the Quiz

Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

Robert Plutchik was an American psychologist who created one of the most popular emotion wheels in 1980 called Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions.

The wheel was developed to help illustrate different emotions as part of his psychoevolutionary theory of basic emotions.He theorized that core emotions serve to trigger us due to our survival instincts and have an evolutionary purpose. In addition, he believed that the concept of emotions applies to all animals and humans due to similar midbrain (limbic system) functions.

8 Core Emotions

The design of Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions is a flower with 8 petals located inside an octagon. It consists of 8 core emotions which are grouped into polar opposites and located across each other:

The core emotions appear in the second circle and the intensity of the color of each layer represents the intensity of the emotion. The emotions in the outer layer are soft-colored and milder whereas the ones in the center of the wheel are darker and more intense.

Each core emotion can be expressed at different intensities:

Combining Emotions

Combining different core emotions will create new emotions. Some examples include:

Do You Know What Love Really Is?

Other Emotion Wheels

Although Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions is one of the more popular ones, you may not resonate with how it’s used or find it helpful. Therefore, there are a couple of other emotion wheels that have been developed since.

Geneva’s Wheel

Geneva’s Wheel isn’t in the shape of a wheel but is instead designed as a square with four main quadrants.

It divides emotions into four categories:

It’s based on whether the emotion is pleasant or unpleasant and the level of control or power you feel you have over it or the circumstances that caused it.

For instance, the feeling of surprise is located on the border of pleasant and unpleasant and is categorized as low control. Surprises aren’t always pleasant and it can be challenging to control that feeling. Anger is a high control, unpleasant emotion and sadness is a low control, unpleasant emotion.

What If I Can’t Identify My Emotion?One of the features that the Geneva Wheel has that Plutchik’s doesn’t is an area for “no emotions” or “other emotions." This is useful for those who experience emotional numbness and removes the pressure of finding a word to match the feeling you’re feeling. Sometimes, the stress of labeling an emotion can outweigh the benefits of identifying it.

What If I Can’t Identify My Emotion?

One of the features that the Geneva Wheel has that Plutchik’s doesn’t is an area for “no emotions” or “other emotions." This is useful for those who experience emotional numbness and removes the pressure of finding a word to match the feeling you’re feeling. Sometimes, the stress of labeling an emotion can outweigh the benefits of identifying it.

Junto’s Wheel

It consists of three inner circles and has a simple layout that is easy to use and understand. Basic emotions are located in the center:

As you move to the outer edge of the wheel, the emotions become more complex and specific. This can be helpful when trying to understand the deeper layers of your initial feelings.

For instance, you’re feeling angry. However, after some self-reflection, you realize you’re also feeling jealous, resentful, and frustrated.

This Wheel Separates Love and HappinessIt is a comprehensive wheel with over 100 different emotions. Unlike the other wheels, it separates love from happiness and categorizes it as a different emotion.

This Wheel Separates Love and Happiness

It is a comprehensive wheel with over 100 different emotions. Unlike the other wheels, it separates love from happiness and categorizes it as a different emotion.

Tips For How to Use An Emotion Wheel

Putting words to our negative feelings is effective in reducing their intensity and effect.

How to Use and Emotion Wheel

Using an emotion wheel can be helpful for you to learn how to understand your emotions. Here are some tips to get you started:

Also Yourself to Feel What You FeelThere isn’t a right or wrong way to identify your emotions. Using an emotion wheel is one of the many ways you can do this. The most important thing to remember is to not try to push emotions down, ignore them or bottle them up as that can harm our physical health, mental health, and general well-being.

Also Yourself to Feel What You Feel

There isn’t a right or wrong way to identify your emotions. Using an emotion wheel is one of the many ways you can do this. The most important thing to remember is to not try to push emotions down, ignore them or bottle them up as that can harm our physical health, mental health, and general well-being.

A Word From Verywell

Confronting your emotions and dealing with them is incredibly beneficial in the long run.If you find it difficult to manage your emotions, it can be helpful totalk to a therapistor healthcare professional. They can help you understand yourself better, develop mechanisms to improve your mental well-being, and provide a safe space for you to explore your thoughts and emotions.

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence. Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045Cruz-Villalobos L.The nature of emotions(Plutchik, 2001).American Scientist, 89(4), pp 344–350. Published online January 1, 2001.Imbir KK.Psychoevolutionary theory of emotion(Plutchik).In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2017:1–9.University of Geneva.The Geneva Emotion Wheel.Junto Institute.The Junto Emotion Wheel.Kircanski K, Lieberman MD, Craske MG.Feelings into words: contributions of language to exposure therapy.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(10):1086–1091.Patel J, Patel P.Consequences of repression of emotion: physical health, mental health and general well being.Xu W, ed.IJPR. 2019;1(3):16–21.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence. Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045Cruz-Villalobos L.The nature of emotions(Plutchik, 2001).American Scientist, 89(4), pp 344–350. Published online January 1, 2001.Imbir KK.Psychoevolutionary theory of emotion(Plutchik).In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2017:1–9.University of Geneva.The Geneva Emotion Wheel.Junto Institute.The Junto Emotion Wheel.Kircanski K, Lieberman MD, Craske MG.Feelings into words: contributions of language to exposure therapy.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(10):1086–1091.Patel J, Patel P.Consequences of repression of emotion: physical health, mental health and general well being.Xu W, ed.IJPR. 2019;1(3):16–21.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence. Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045Cruz-Villalobos L.The nature of emotions(Plutchik, 2001).American Scientist, 89(4), pp 344–350. Published online January 1, 2001.Imbir KK.Psychoevolutionary theory of emotion(Plutchik).In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2017:1–9.University of Geneva.The Geneva Emotion Wheel.Junto Institute.The Junto Emotion Wheel.Kircanski K, Lieberman MD, Craske MG.Feelings into words: contributions of language to exposure therapy.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(10):1086–1091.Patel J, Patel P.Consequences of repression of emotion: physical health, mental health and general well being.Xu W, ed.IJPR. 2019;1(3):16–21.

Drigas AS, Papoutsi C.A new layered model on emotional intelligence. Behav Sci (Basel). 2018;8(5):45. doi:10.3390/bs8050045

Cruz-Villalobos L.The nature of emotions(Plutchik, 2001).American Scientist, 89(4), pp 344–350. Published online January 1, 2001.

Imbir KK.Psychoevolutionary theory of emotion(Plutchik).In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds.Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2017:1–9.

University of Geneva.The Geneva Emotion Wheel.

Junto Institute.The Junto Emotion Wheel.

Kircanski K, Lieberman MD, Craske MG.Feelings into words: contributions of language to exposure therapy.Psychol Sci. 2012;23(10):1086–1091.

Patel J, Patel P.Consequences of repression of emotion: physical health, mental health and general well being.Xu W, ed.IJPR. 2019;1(3):16–21.

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