Emotions play a critical role in how we live our lives, how we communicate with others and how we make decisions. But how often do we really think about how emotions; understanding + managing them play a role in our work life?
First off, having good emotional intelligence goes far beyond benefiting you in the workplace, it is the foundation for living a meaningful life where you can communicate effectively, respond to situations in an appropriate manner and maintain positive relationships. This mentality where leaders, employees and all personnel understand how emotions are expressed and the impact they have on behaviour, is a fundamental part of mentally healthy workplaces.
Managers and leaders are entering an era where creating a positive workplace culture includes having difficult conversations about mental health and wellbeing with their teams. Empathy is integral to these conversations, but so many leaders, don’t fully understand emotional intelligence.
How can leaders expect to relate to others emotions, when they can barely name most emotions, let alone understand them, or know what to do when they occur or when they are triggered? Leaders are expected to understand their employees’ emotions to improve relationships with them, but are given no tools or education on how to do so.
Being able to label emotions so we can understand and mitigate our reactions is essential to being empathetic. Here are the 6 of the basic emotions experienced by every human, that leaders and managers need to be aware of, understand and learn how to react to.
Source – verywellmind
- Happiness
Happiness is a pleasant emotional state that is characterized by feelings of contentment, joy, gratification, satisfaction, and well-being.
This type of emotion is sometimes expressed through:
- Facial expressions: such as smiling
- Body language: such as a relaxed stance
- Tone of voice: an upbeat, pleasant way of speaking
- Sadness
Sadness is an emotional pain associated with feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, grief, helplessness, disappointment and sorrow.
Sadness can be expressed through:
- Crying
- Dampened mood
- Lethargy
- Quietness
- Withdrawal from others
- Fear
Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
Fear can be expressed through:
- Facial expressions: such as widening the eyes and pulling back the chin
- Body language: attempts to hide or flea from the threat
- Physiological reactions: such as rapid breathing and heartbeat
- Disgust
Disgust is a feeling of revulsion or strong disapproval aroused by something unpleasant or offensive.
Disgust can be expressed through:
- Body language: turning away from the object of disgust
- Physical reactions: such as vomiting or retching
- Facial expressions: such as wrinkling the nose and curling the upper lip
- Anger
Anger is an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.
Anger can be expressed through:
- Facial expressions: frowning, glaring
- Body language: a strong stance or turning away
- Tone of voice: aggressive or loud
- Physiological responses: sweating or turning red
- Aggressive behaviors: such as hitting, kicking, or throwing objects
- Surprise
Surprise is a brief mental and physiological state, a startle response experienced as the result of an unexpected event
- Facial expressions: such as raising the brows, widening the eyes, and opening the mouth
- Physical responses: jumping
- Verbal reactions: such as shouting, screaming, or gasping
