Essays on the Emotions

By Dr Neel Burton — Psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine writer; Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford; author of over twenty books.

The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.
—John Milton, Paradise Lost

Our emotions are not merely feelings. They are forms of intelligence. By drawing us towards some things and away from others, they determine our choices, leaving us to ‘reason’ backwards towards them.

Some emotions, such as fear and anger, reach deep into our animal past. Others, such as nostalgia and romantic love, are woven from memory, imagination, and culture. Even so, many evolved in a world that no longer exists.

To understand our emotions is to understand what moves, troubles, and exalts us. To refine them is to refine ourselves.

This page brings together my essays on the emotions.

What Are Emotions?

Emotions and Feelings: What’s the Difference? — Pain Is a Feeling but not an Emotion. Love Can Be Both.

What Are the Basic Emotions—and How Many Are There? — Why the Answer Is More Complicated Than It Seems

A Life in Ideas: David Hume — His Life, Character, and Philosophy

Emotion and the Good Life

What If We’ve Got Happiness Wrong? — Why Eudaimonia Is Better Than Happiness

Aristotle’s Golden Mean — Is There a Right Amount of Anger?

What Is Ataraxia? — And Why Ataraxia Is the Ultimate Cool

The Metaphor of the Stoic Archer, Explained — Why the Stoics Believed Success Is Not the Measure of a Good Life

The Buddha’s Solution to Desire and Suffering — Buddhism’s Most Important Teachings: The Middle Way, Four Noble Truths, and Eightfold Path

Suffering and Loss

The Root of All Anxiety — The Deepest Cure for Fear and Anxiety—No Prescription Required

What Depression is For — My Philosophy of (Most) Depression

Crying as a Way of Knowing — What Our Tears Are Trying to Tell Us

The People We Love Are Only on Loan — What the Stoics Knew About Grief and Loss

Anger, Shame, and Blame

How to Banish Anger Forever — The Stoic Seneca on Anger

How to Deal With Insults, the Stoic Way — What Is the Strongest Response to an Insult?

Why Humiliation Is Worse Than Death — The Psychology and Philosophy of Humiliation

Why We Scapegoat—And How We Choose Our Victims — The Psychology and Philosophy of Scapegoating

Self and Self-Regard

The Secret to Self-Esteem — Self-Esteem vs Self-Confidence: Why Confidence Isn’t Enough

Humility vs Modesty — Synonyms, or Opposites?

The Psychology and Philosophy of Envy — Why Envy Is the Most Shameful of All Emotions

Why Snobbery is Self-Defeating — The Psychology of Snobbery

The Joy of Being Alone — The Psychology and Philosophy of Solitude

How to Go from Lazy to Idle — The Psychology and Philosophy of Laziness

Love and Friendship

Schopenhauer’s Hedgehog Dilemma — Finding the Right Distance Between Self and Others

Can Romantic Love Save Us? — The History and Psychology of Love—and What It Reveals About Love Itself

Why Do We Kiss? — What Kissing Reveals About Us

The True Meaning of Platonic Love — Plato’s Remarkable Vision of Love

Aristotle on Friendship — Why Friendship is Essential to the Good Life

How Friendship Transformed Kant’s Life — Getting to the Real Immanuel Kant

The Higher Emotions

Empathy vs Sympathy: What’s the Difference? — The Psychology and Philosophy of Pity, Sympathy, Empathy, and Compassion

What Is Altruism—And Is It Truly Selfless? — The Psychology and Philosophy of Altruism

Why Wonder is the Beginning of Wisdom — The Psychology and Philosophy of Wonder

The Beautiful vs the Sublime — What’s the Difference Between a Painting and a Sunset?

What Is Nostalgia—And Is It a Human Universal? — What Homer’s Odyssey Teaches Us About Nostos

Why Laughter Is Complicated — Every Theory of Laughter Explained—and Superseded

Schopenhauer: The Funniest Philosopher? — You Will Laugh and Cry

Continue Exploring

Explore more subjects in the Index Scriptorum.

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