"The greatest amount of life can be supported by great diversification of structure." Charles Darwin

Saturday, January 11, 2014

A body map for emotions!



Different emotions are associated with discernible patterns of bodily sensations. (Credit: Image courtesy of Aalto University)

This recent study published on PNAS shows how different emotions affect different parts of our body. The research was carried out using a unique topographical self-report method. See how our cheeks turn red when we feel ashamed or embarrased. It's totally cool!

In traditional Chinese medicine, there is this old philosophy about "Qi", or "natural energy flow" in human body. Drastic emotional swings are thought to disrupt the balance of "Qi" in human body in different ways. For example, anger is often linked to damage in liver, whereas fear is thought to lead to harm in kidneys. This paper indeed connects the abstract concept of "Qi" with some measurable indices in our body.

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