Body Emotions Heat Map
Happy Holidays!! Feelings of Joy in Each Other!
The holiday season is often busy and includes a spectrum of emotions. It can be more chaotic and stressful than many would like to admit. It may feel difficult to truly slow down and reflect. This is more reason to take a moment to rebalance and harmonize ourselves internally to lead healthier and more meaningful lives.
Emotions help to bond us, create stronger connections, and grow as individuals. Despite differing cultures and experiences, emotions transcend these differences. We may look, act, speak and think differently, but emotions are a common language.
Have you ever stopped to think about where you feel an emotion in your body? You may feel joy in your chest listening to holiday music or seeing lights on the trees, a sense of relaxation and warmth throughout your body when hugging a loved one, a flutter throughout your body out of excitement to spend time with someone, or an uneasy feeling in your gut from anxiety at the thought of hosting people.
The mind-body connection is an inherent biological mechanism linked to our own survival. The brain sends signals to the body when experiencing emotion so we can properly react. Physical health is mental health and vice versa. Emotions are stored in the body. By tending to our emotions, we are tending to our bodies; by tending to our bodies, we are tending to our emotions.
Scientists have connected the link between emotions and sensations within the body. A study entitled “Bodily Maps of Emotions,” suggests the body sensations associated with emotions are universal, regardless of language and culture.
To see whether specific body changes occur for specific emotions, 701 participants from Finland, Sweden and Taiwan were asked to color in body regions in which they felt an increase or decrease in sensation while viewing a stimulus – facial expressions, emotional words, stories or movies.
The researchers found definite signature patterns for each emotion among all participants. The following heat map image demonstrates the patterns associated with each basic and complex emotion and where it is felt in the body. Activation of the body is demonstrated by warm colors and deactivation of the body is demonstrated by cool colors.
While this study sheds light on the physical manifestation of emotions, it highlights our universal connectedness within the emotional experience. The holiday season is a time of reflection, a wide array of emotions and moments with others.
It is important for us to recognize and appreciate the universal commonality and connectedness between us all, granting us the opportunity to understand each other better, cultivate more empathy, experience deeper relationships, meaningful moments, and enjoy a balanced holiday season and balanced life.
Have an awesome Holiday Season! Dr. D