En artig bok med mange rare emosjoner fra alle verdensdeler. Har generelt gode beskrivelser av de ulike emosjonene. ( )

I really enjoyed this book but it takes some reading. It opens with a chapter about the history of modern emotions which was completely gripping. But then after that it is simply an alphabetical list of emotions. The first chapter gives context to what you are reading but the alphabetical index doesn’t which is what made is so jarring to plod through.

But having said that I did plod through and found much to ponder over therein.

I have long known that other languages had emotions that in English we have no direct equivalent for, only approximations. A bit like saying a tulip is like a rose but different. No help to anyone really.

Also if you have read that bit in “The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Really Are” by Alan Watts you also know that there are emotions that we have no inkling of whatsoever and are so alien that we cannot even imagine them.

The real surprises in this book is just how modern many of our emotions are. We think that people have been feeling these things for ever but it just isn’t so. Also how many emotions that we now perceive as “negative” when for most of their lives they have been considered as positive emotions.

The hand of the big pharma companies also shows itself in the reversal, and plain old invention of some of this stuff. For example, the symptoms of depression are described in the DSM without context. so if you are feeling down, short on appetite and not sleeping too well, then you are suffering from depression and need these pills.

BUT, if you feel all those things and you have just: lost your job, or come to the end of a significant relationship, or lost someone dear to you, even a dog, or had your favourite bile stolen THEN those same symptoms are the response of a normal human being to such events and you are not suffering from depression and don’t need those pills. Chilling stuff huh?

And what about emotions that were once common but now we no longer have them? Hard to imagine but true nonetheless. It kinda makes the whole stage of our lives seem a bit shaky if you consider the wider implications of some of this. Like, if we cannot name it does that mean we cannot feel it? What are we missing out on? Does it also mean that we are experiencing some things unconsciously because we cannot name them?

Give this book to someone that you want to unsettle, including yourself. ( )

I really enjoyed the book. I kept going back and forth between wanting more elaboration and enjoying the quick, lightness to how it is currently written. Overall, a fun and interesting read with a few descriptions that felt particularly well-researched and cleverly written. While some were obscure and some obvious, I found myself drawn to the way she described and researched even the obvious emotions. ( )

Not quite a dictionary (although it is arranged alphabetically) this non-fiction book is more a collection of words we use to describe our emotions primarily in English but with a smattering of words from other languages that have no direct translation. Entries vary from etymology, including how some words used to describe different feelings than their current connotations. While I read this one straight through, it's also easy to dip in and out of or to simply jump around following cross-references. A fascinating read for word nerds as well as those who are just interested in how the way we describe how we feel has changed over the years. ( )

I meant to dip into this book once in awhile as it's truly just an alphabetical listing of emotions that the author chose to write small essays on (sometimes only a line or paragraph, sometimes several pages). She disavows any idea that this is at all a comprehensive list, but she does cover most of the emotions that are part of our day-to-day lives - as well as a few entirely new (to me) ones.

The thing is, as I started reading, I found myself continuing on, reading it as though it were a narrative and about half-way through I began to think this would make an excellent self-help book in an odd and quirky way. Many of her essays get to the heart of the emotion and leaves the reader with a lot to consider; some of her entries consider the emotion's original meaning and context and often I found this enough to put things into perspective regarding the fun fair that is the inside of my own head sometimes.

Whether it's read cover to cover or dipped into on occasion, this is a genuinely lovely book and well worth reading for anyone curious about philosophy or psychology. ( )