The theory of Emotion Language is predicated on 3 axioms:

1. Human needs and emotions are both universal and discrete.

2. Each emotion arises from a corresponding lack.

3. The function of emotions is to communicate the status of our needs to ourselves and each other.

Emotion Language identifies 5 manifest needs and 3 latent needs as well as their corresponding emotions:

1. Homeostasis : : Distress

2. Membership : : Shame

3. Intimacy : : Loneliness

4. Expression : : Frustration

5. Stimulation : : Boredom

6. Coherence : : Confusion

7. Order : : Indignation

8. Security : : Fear

Emotion Language identifies anxiety, despair, and anger as composite emotions, and happiness as the null emotion.

Emotion Language is a functional model of human psychology derived from observation and introspection. It makes no attempt to describe our biological reality nor does it appeal to evidence or data-driven research.

Homeostasis is the automatic and internal regulation of chemical processes within the body. This includes all processes necessary to sustain life at the tissue, organ, and organism level.

While we can neither sense nor influence these processes directly, we are responsible for providing the resources and environment for our bodies to function and thrive.

These responsibilities include nourishment, elimination, and respiration, as well as the diligence necessary to protect the structural integrity and immunological resilience of our bodies.

A lack of homeostasis results in distress- the emotional state which often accompanies hunger, pain, and pressure.

Membership is the quality of belonging to a group. Social groups vary greatly in size, structure, and function. Examples include, but are not limited to, family groups, peer groups, domestic groups, workplace families, associations, schoolmates, and communities.

Membership is characterized by the individual’s role within the group and their relationship to the other members of the group. Bonds between individuals are predicated on a mutual understanding of value.

A lack of membership results in shame - the emotional state which often accompanies a sense of worthlessness, guilt, embarrassment, and dishonor.

Intimacy is a state of mutual vulnerability and trust. Intimacy can be evaluated along the following axes:

1. Intellectual intimacy involves an open exchange of thoughts and ideas. Language serves as the default conduit, but ideas are often represented visually through artwork, diagrams, or graphics.

2. Emotional intimacy involves an open exchange of feelings and affections. Nonverbal communication takes priority over language in this domain, but the visual and auditory arts provide invaluable mediums as well.

3. Physical intimacy involves an open exchange of touches and movement. The body itself is the medium of communication. Forms include hugging, kissing, cuddling, massaging, petting, and grooming, as well as all manner of sexual activities.

A lack of intimacy results in loneliness - the emotional state which often accompanies heartbreak, grief, isolation, and longing.

Expression is the articulation and execution of will. Expression can be evaluated along the following axes:

1. Abstract expression communicates thoughts and ideas. It may be symbolic, representational, or performative, but it is inherent to any use of language.

2. Affective expression communicates emotions and feelings. While emotion itself automatically and implicitly communicates the needs of the individual, affective expression communicates the individual’s subjective experience of emotion.

3. Kinesthetic expression communicates intention and impulse. It may be premeditated, coordinated, reactive, or instinctual, but it always takes the form of physical movement.

A lack of expression results in frustration - the emotional state which often accompanies impotence, impatience, impedance, and annoyance.

Stimulation is the reception of information via the nervous system. Stimulation can be evaluated along the following axes:

1. Cognitive stimulation provokes thought through engagement with ideas via intellectual intimacy or the products of abstract expression.

2. Empathic stimulation arouses emotion through engagement with feelings via emotional intimacy or the products of affective expression.

3. Sensory stimulation produces sensations through engagement with the visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory senses via physical intimacy or environmental effects.

Introspection and meditation provide an internal means of regulating cognitive and empathic stimulation, while self-stimulation of the tactile, visual, auditory, interoceptive, proprioceptive, and vestibular organs provide a means of regulating sensory stimulation. Reflexive forms of stimulation serve as feedback which can help to achieve stability and balance, but they are insufficient on their own. A lack of stimulation results in boredom - the emotional state which often accompanies apathy, disinterest, languor, tedium, and ennui.

Coherence is the quality of continuity within latent cognitive models. Coherence concerns the state of things unseen. When the state of things defies expectations or exceeds the mind’s capacity to process, coherence is disrupted.

A lack of coherence results in confusion - the emotional state which often accompanies bewilderment, confoundment, and disorientation.

Adherence is the quality of order within latent cognitive models. Adherence concerns the behavior of things unseen. When the behavior of things defies expectations or deviates from the path prescribed by the model, adherence is broken.

A lack of adherence results in indignation - the emotional state which often accompanies disorder, injustice, offense, outrage, and umbrage.

Security is the quality of favorable outcomes projected by latent cognitive models in relation to the aforementioned manifest needs. The expectation of security relies on both the state of things and the behavior of things. When the future state of one’s manifest needs is predicted to be unfavorable or uncertain, security is compromised. The immediacy can vary from instantaneous to indeterminate, and the severity can vary from life-threatening to ambiguous harm.

A lack of security results in fear - the emotional state which often accompanies concern, danger, dread, terror, and worry.

The superposition of discrete primary emotions results in composites, identified herein as anxiety, anger, and despair. Unlike the primary emotions described above, composite emotions are not specific to any single need, nor are they distinct from one another, nor are they dependent on environmental factors. These composites represent different facets of cumulative negative affectivity, and therefore exhibit the ability to morph between their various forms, even in the absence of external influence.

These three emotions can be broadly differentiated by arousal, which is separate from intensity. Anger is associated with higher levels of arousal while despair is associated with lower levels of arousal, with anxiety existing in-between. All three of these composite emotions (and by extension all eight primary emotions) contribute equally to the experience of psychological stress.

Pseudo-Emotions are strong feelings combined with beliefs and/or behaviors which are culturally associated with or identified as emotions. The theory of Emotion Language has a very specific definition of emotions which these pseudo-emotions do not satisfy; however, their significance warrants further discussion. It bears repeating that this theory represents a functional model of human psychology, not a realistic description of biology, and therefore all definitions contained within this essay are only valid within the context of this theory. The following list briefly explores a short selection of pseudo-emotions.

• Love is strong feeling which results from a combination of enjoyment, admiration, and commitment. Enjoyment is the null emotion (the favorable experience of fulfillment), admiration is formed by the relationship between beliefs about another person and one’s own values, and commitment is an intentional pattern of behavior. Without the contribution of admiration and commitment, love would be indistinguishable from happiness. These contributions are attested by the range of primary and composite emotions associated with love.

• Hate is a strong feeling which results from anger and resentment. Like love, it is based on a belief system and requires an object of fixation. Unlike love, it does not require a behavioral component, although it may provide the driving force of an action or pattern of behavior.

• Gratitude, serenity, and amusement are all variations of happiness which are not qualitatively different from happiness in terms of human needs or emotional expression. In general, they are facets of happiness which reference specific circumstances or experiences, and therefore these concepts serve a valuable role in verbal communication.

Emotions compel an individual to communicate their state via nonverbal cues and indicators. In the absence of conscious effort or training, facial muscles display the emotional state of an individual in manner comprehensible to all humans of all ages across all cultures and all time periods. Tone of voice, word choice, posture, and gesture further augment the emotional communication system with culturally dependent nuances. Loneliness represents a logical exception, for in the absence of a recipient, the expression of one’s emotional state would serve no purpose.

Emotional functionalism is the belief that emotions are beneficial to human fitness as a species, rather than a coincidental byproduct of other evolutionarily advantageous mental processes.

The theory of Emotion Language is a functional account of emotions, but it is distinct from the predominant contemporary understanding of the subject in that it does not attribute emotions to immediate survival behaviors. The following list provides a short list of objections to the popular view:

• The crying of an infant attracts predators and distracts its protectors, reducing survival outcomes in the face of imminent danger. This is contrary to claims that anxiety is survival mechanism meant to motivate flight, fight, or freeze behavior.

• The languor of depression throttles the creative initiative and cooperation that are often necessary to overcome desperate scarcity, in contrast to claims that despair is a survival mechanism meant to preserve energy.

• Despite claims that anger facilitates the restructuring of social hierarchies through intimidation and physiological enhancement, the opposite is demonstrably true: the inability to regulate anger is universally perceived as an antisocial characteristic, and it is well known to be a handicap in combat.

In addition to inherent logical fallacies, the theory of immediate survival functionality is challenged by a lack of applicability to contemporary life. It offers no actionable solutions or guidance beyond cognitive restructuring. In contrast, the theory of Emotion Language offers solution-oriented insight that recognizes cognitive, social, and environmental influence on emotion, mood, and behavior.