BEST BOOKS THAT WILL HELP UNDERSTAND YOUR EMOTIONS? A Whole New Mind: Why Rights Brainees will Rule the Future by Daniel H Pink and more
As humans, we all have emotions that are widely revealed by circumstances or situations. Be it anger, happiness, love, fear, hatred, amongst others. They are a combination of what makes up our emotions. However, suppose these emotions are not understood and controlled. In that case, it can cause many mishaps to both the individual and society at large, so we have developed this article to help recommend some good books that will teach and expose us to the various emotions and how to master and control them.
Emotion as a concept has always been a point of argument for scholars who study human minds and behaviors. However, there is still a generally accepted concept, which is that ” emotion is a feeling. “ Emotion can be said to be a biological and physiological reaction caused by an action. These reactions can be fear, happiness, anger, love, hatred. In the course of this article, we will discuss six basic emotions such as; disgust, fear, surprise, happiness, anger, and sadness.
- Disgust: This is a strong feeling of disapproval caused by something very unpleasant to an individual. Facial expressions and vomiting are some of the ways different individuals display disgust. Numerous things can cause disgust, which includes but is not limited to a bad smell, infection, rot, blood, poor hygiene, and death.
- Fear: This is an unusual feeling initiated by perceived danger. It leaves an individual responsible for running away from the danger or getting ready to face and fight that danger. The expressions of fear are facial expressions, heart beating faster, and attempts to run away. Different individuals react differently to fear.
- Surprise: This is a feeling of sudden shock or excitement resulting from an unexpected event or activity. There is always a strike of wonder or unbelief to an actual event because of that event’s unexpectedness. The surprise is usually brief. There is a negative and positive surprise, which is entirely determined by the event.
- Happiness: It is a feeling that can be linked to excitement and joy, which is borne out of satisfaction or success on a particular thing. Different things contribute to happiness for other individuals because different things influence different individuals. Various things act as sources of joy for different individuals, which can be traced to cultures and societal influences. Happiness plays a massive role in humans’ health because an unhappy person may suffer from anxiety, depression, and stress, whereas a happy person will have a healthy body.
- Anger: This is a powerful response from an individual to threats or things that causes provocation and hurt. Expressions of anger include a feeling of rage, frowning, a harsh tone of voice, and an activated mood to fight. Anger has similarities with fear because some reactions include fast heartbeats and the feeling to run away from the perceived provocation. Some individuals also experience some effects such as sweating and turning red when angry.
- Sadness: This is a feeling of psychological pain resulting from loss, hopelessness, or hurt. Different people express this emotion differently; some express it by crying, quietness, and withdrawal from people, while others can not stop falling into depression.
Having discussed some of the emotions generally displayed by everyone, it is pertinent that we deliberate on some of the effects of not understanding your feelings. As humans, emotion is part of our lives, and as such, we must know them because it is only when we understand them that we can control for our good.
Emotional intelligence is a fast-rising course of study in the academic world and a firm requirement in work. It has been deemed one of the essential skills needed to coexist with others in society and the work environment at large. This article will discuss some of the best books that will open us to some of the techniques needed to fully understand and control our emotions. They are as follows: Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goldman, The Human Emotions: An Encyclopedia of Feeling from Anger to Wanderlust by Tiffany Watt Smith, A Whole New Mind: Why Rights Brainees will Rule the Future by Daniel H Pink, Principles of Psychology by Williams James, Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride by David DeSteno, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Bradbery and Jean Greaves.
Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goldman
The author of this book created an insight into the importance of emotional intelligence. He argued that emotional intelligence is an essential skill needed in the workplace instead of IQ level and an advanced degree. The book broke down emotional intelligence into self-control, self-awareness, self-confidence, commitment and integrity, and communication and influence. This is evident in the world of work today because the higher you go, the more emotional intelligence you need to lead a bigger number of people. For an individual to lead effectively, he/she needs to tolerate and influence other people.
The Human Emotions: An Encyclopedia of Feeling from Anger to Wanderlust by Tiffany Watt Smith
This is a very insightful work that will expose you to many emotions ranging from 150 emotions listed and explained by the author. Going through this book, you will learn about emotions you have never heard about, like “basorexia,” which is the urge to kiss someone. The author contrasted ancient and modern beliefs and scientific, philosophical, and literary thoughts to expose us to these emotions in our inner lives. Reading this piece of work will broaden your understanding of emotions.
A Whole New Mind: Why Rights Brainees will Rule the Future by Daniel H Pink
Daniel Pink explained the brain’s division, divided into the left brain and the right brain. According to him, the left brain comprises logic, analytics, and science, while the right brain is made up of design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Daniel argued that the world has been paying much attention to the left brain and have failed to see the importance of the right brain. Reading this book will help you to understand the importance of empathy and play.
Principles of Psychology by Williams James
The author of this book opined that psychology is the science of mental life, which comprises human characteristics such as consciousness, desires, habits, emotions, thoughts, the self, and perceptions. He argued that our instincts, which he listed as fear, sympathy, curiosity, sociability, and pugnacity, are greatly influenced by experience. This broad work will expose you to the similarities and links between the brain and emotions. Williams took out time to explain these emotional links and similarities. This work will further tell you about the different functions of the brain and the connections to emotion.
Emotional Success: The Power of Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride by David DeSteno
DeSteno explained that emotional success could help us achieve whatever goals we want to accomplish with greater ease. He centered his work on three things; Gratitude, Compassion, and Pride, which he explained are the primary skills needed to excel. He also explained in his book that these emotions would help us build long and lasting relationships with other people and can also be used to create future bonds with ourselves. These emotions will make people attracted to us; it will make them relaxed and safe around us. Reading this book will expose you to understand the importance of being grateful, compassionate, and having self-pride.
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Bradbery and Jean Greaves
The book defined EQ(Emotional Quotient) as the ability to identify and understand emotions in yourself and others and use awareness to manage your response and relationship. This book helps us know that we can improve our EQ by mastering the link between the brain’s emotional and logical centers. It also explained that our emotional impulse is because our brains’ neural signals pass through the emotional center (limbic system) before reaching the logical center (pre-frontal cortex). This book is highly recommended because it took time to simplify the links between the brain and emotions and send signals, which will help us understand our emotions and control them.
The books discussed above are not the only best books that help understand emotions but are best selected from this article’s best. The books are highly recommended, and some explanations have been given above on why they are recommended. Emotions are part of our daily life and should be understood either by reading or experience. That is why we have dedicated our time to bring up some of the best books that will help individuals understand and control their emotions.
Also read: How I became a children’s book illustrator
