Adjective

emotional (comparative more emotional, superlative most emotional)

Positive emotional

Comparative more emotional

Superlative most emotional

1. Of or relating to the emotions.

   emotional crisis

2. Characterised by emotion.
3. Determined by emotion rather than reason.

   emotional decision

4. Appealing to or arousing emotion.

   emotional speech

5. Easily affected by emotion.

   She’s an emotional person.

6. Readily displaying emotion.

   emotional greeting

Synonyms

• demonstrative
• effusive
• sentimental
• temperamental

Related terms

• emotionalise (also emotionalize)
• emotionalism
• emotionally

German

Adjective

emotional (comparative emotionaler, superlative am emotionalsten)

1. emotional

Related terms

• Emotion

Emotion is subjective experience, associated with mood, temperament, personality, and disposition. The English word 'emotion' is derived from the French word émouvoir. This is based on the Latin emovere, where e- (variant of ex-) means 'out' and movere means 'move'. The related term "motivation" is also derived from movere.

No definitive taxonomy of emotions exists, though numerous taxonomies have been proposed. Some categorizations include:

• 'Cognitive' versus 'non-cognitive' emotions
• Instinctual emotions (from the amygdala), versus cognitive emotions (from the prefrontal cortex).
• Basic versus complex: where base emotions lead to more complex ones.
• Categorization based on duration: Some emotions occur over a period of seconds (e.g. surprise) where others can last years (e.g. love).

A related distinction is between the emotion and the results of the emotion, principally behaviors and emotional expressions. People often behave in certain ways as a direct result of their emotional state, such as crying, fighting or fleeing. Yet again, if one can have the emotion without the corresponding behavior then we may consider the behavior not to be essential to the emotion. Neuroscientific research suggests there is a "magic quarter second" during which it's possible to catch a thought before it becomes an emotional reaction. In that instant, one can catch a feeling before allowing it to take hold.

The James-Lange theory posits that emotional experience is largely due to the experience of bodily changes. The functionalist approach to emotions (e.g. Nico Frijda) holds that emotions have evolved for a particular function, such as to keep the subject safe.