The Book of Feels by user Math Equal Angelic Mantra
This post/article is dedicated to Scott Adams, a.k.a. "Dilbertman", "Persuasion Man" who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and only has a 30% chance to live. While I haven't agreed with everything he's said or advocated for, he finally "redpilled" me on the ultimate irrational nature of both humanity and myself. It has allowed me to let go of a lot of things and forgive, both my fellow man and myself. While he doesn't believe in such things, I'll try to persuade God on his behalf to go easy on him in the after life. Sip with angels you crazy boomer (by the way, I did catch onto you never having any actual liquid in your big mug during your "simultaneous sip").
The following is largely taken from a notebook I kept when I was trying to break into copy writing (someone who writes ads, sales letters, and marketing material). It was one of the most important failures of my life since it taught me actual applicable psychology: no talk about abstract notions of projection, or how you hold a TV remote relates to being envious of your father's penis, no getting bogged down in academic studies or justifying junk pop psychology; just the raw results from the market and the punishment of Adam Smith's invisible hand. I'm more willing to trust guys who's livelihood is dependent upon moving scented candles than a tenured academics who gets paid regardless how dodgy their studies may be. Psychology is notorious for being the most effected field by the "Replication crisis."
In the copywriting guide books it was said time and time again you don't sell on logic but emotion. But this got me thinking are emotions really? This question sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole. This quest then transcended the mere desire to write sales letters and to better understand our emotions and actual drivers of our behavior. I decided to share this because even if you're not interested in a career in marketing and sales, we all have to "sell" something at some point in our lives. Also it is these sort of things Glowies and intelligence agencies are well aware of and use to manipulate the public. This will help you sidestep the next psyop and the plays of interpersonal manipulators in our personal lives. With that, I present to you "The Book of Feels."
Most models of emotions are based on a series of binaries: love vs hate, happiness vs sadness, ect. One of the most compelling models that I've seen is Robert Plutchik's "Wheel of Emotion" usually shown as a petal.
The thing is it actually represents a 3 dimensional cone to express intensity and common combinations, and I have hence nicknamed it "The Feels Cone", a cone for all your feels and will refer to as such.
The Feels Cone was based on observable physiological responses in animals, and has the vibe of being developed by scientist in lab coats poking monkeys in a cage with a stick, writing down inane observations like "Prodded subject. Subject became irritate and erratic, proceeded to prod subject further." However this approach brings some objectivity to something that is fundamentally subjective . While I don't think it's fully complete or correct, the emphasis on observable response offers helpful and overlooked insights into better understanding our feels and the feels of others, since we are generally more wrapped up in experiencing them or judging those going through them.
The Cone is based on 8 primary emotions put into 4 opposing binaries:
- Joy - Sadness: connection vs withdraw
- Fear - Anger: Get small and hide vs Get Big and loud
- Vigilance - Amazement: Examine Closely vs Jump Back
- Disgust - Trust: Reject vs Emotions
The 8 secondary emotions combination along fault lines on The Cone to create more complex emotions:
- Joy + Trust = Love
- Trust + Fear = Submission
- Fear + Surprise = Awe
- Surprise + Sadness = Disappointment
- Sadness + Disgust = Remorse
- Disgust + Anger = Contempt
- Anger + Anticipation = Aggressiveness
- Anticipation + Joy = Optimism
| Observed Response | Connect | Withdrawal | Big & Loud | Small & Hide | Examine Closely | Jump Back | Reject | Embrace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Intense | Ecstacy | Grief | Rage | Terror | Vigilence | Amazement | Loathing | Admiration |
| Mild Intense | Joy | Sadness | Anger | Fear | Anticipation | Suprise | Disgust | Trust |
| Low Intense | Serenity | Pensiveness | Annoyance | Apprehencion | Intrest | Distraction | Boredom | Acceptence |
The rest is a series of bullet lists. While much of it may come off as inane observations, when looked at in totality I think it gives some food for thought about the nature of our lives and the overall human condition.
This list of what irritates people can mostly be inverted for what brings people joy/pleasure. "Being insulted" becomes "being complicated", "turned down for opportunity" becomes "gaining an opportunity."
Things that irritate people:
- having to wait
- tedious actions
- being insulted
- being lied to
- being presented facts/opinions that contradict worldview or preconceived notions
- presented symbols/members of a disagreeable tribe
- turned down opportunity
- feeling of an injustice committed to self, group, or in general
- being inflicted by unpleasing sensory phenomena (loud noises, blaring lights, ect)
- being physically harmed
- being around someone whom someone finds irritating
- presented or in a place with a displeasing aesthetic
- presented a case of hypocrisy
- being perceived as being inferior or lower class by others
- losing in a competition/or tribe losing in competition
- being presented by confusing material or being in a confusing situation
- perceived decline of self, tribe, or thing held in high regard
- having to pay for something that was free
- paying a higher price than before or than what others pay
- chronic pain
- someone breaking social/cultural taboos
- catching an illness
- being put into a situation/environment where disease perceived to be more likely
- being presented with information in which one is not interested
- forced to participate in something against ones wishes
- something/someone who one holds in low regard being placed in a high regard, and vice versa
- unexpected change
- expected arrival comes late or not at all
- deprived of food, water, and sleep for extended periods of time
- unexpected outcome, especially if the result is not optimal
- thing/person not living up to previous expectations
- being in an environment with non-optimal temperature
- experiencing undesired weather
- being unable to find something
- loss of income or possessions
- being physically lost
- not having a desired piece of information
- feelings of being ignored or not listened to
- being presented, shown, or aware of rituals being performed by group/tribe one finds disagreeable
- being unable to expend excess energy
Common Tabloid/Drama/Gossip Archetypes
- weddings
- deaths
- births
- divorces/breakups
- infidelity
- fights (physical and verbal)
- criminal arrests and allegations of criminal activity
- prestigious events
- skinshow
- legal disputes
- "Greatest"/"Worst"
- hot button issue
- family/friend dynamics and intrigue
- "Outrageous!"
- new release in media
- mystery/unsolved crime
- cover ups
- "EXCLUSIVE!"
- unusual or unprovoked erratic behavior
- accident or event that caused death, injury, destruction of property
- x and y wants z...
- position
- object
- land
- sex/romantic partner or the opportunity
- praise of something
- information
- victory in competition/combat
- x covets/envious of y (see above)
- x wants a, y wants to z
- x wants to y, z does not want
- x is a y, and z can't tolerate y
- x inflicted some harm on y (current in the past)
- x is fearful of y (may manifest as anger)
- some sort of loss
- life
- a loved ones life
- loss of a loved one/a relationship
- wealth
- health
- prestige
- social role
- mind/sanity
- culture/way of life
- being incorrect, from small to worldview
- change
- failure
- success
- being alone
- rejection
- bringing attention/focus on oneself from others
- gaining a disagreeable label (racist, cuck, ect)
- being reminded of past traumas (overt, symbolic, close enough to associate)
- being trapped in an abstract sense (dead end job, undesirable relationship, financial situation, ect)
- archetypal sensory instincts
- big claw monsters
- loud noises
- bright and/or flashing lights
- venomous creatures (especially snakes and spiders)
- Physical circumstance
- falling
- drowning
- impact
- trapped in confined space
- Beauty or particular aesthetics
- being "entertained"
- having a victory/winning a competition
- pleasure
- being around familiar/similar people
- being fed/full
- removing pain, recovering from an illness
- acquiring knowledge/information
- health
- being complimented/praised
- who does the complimenting/praising can multiply the effect (by someone the person whom they hold in some high regard or is desirable in some way)
- likewise it can backfire if the person is held in some sort of low regard or undesirable
- being in a comfortable place
- being somewhere new
- being in a what is perceived as a high value place/group, or exclusive place/group
- learning something new or novel, especially when it relates to someone's interests
- completing a task
- physiological appearance (hair color, skin tone ect.)
- dress/clothing
- language
- dialect
- regional accent
- shared verbiage
- shared media and cultural artifacts
- body language
- a shared commonly accepted history
- traumatic events
- previous victories/defeats especially in warfare (sports is a simulation of this)
- tales of a migration from an original homeland, mythological or real
- shared figures, icons, and heroes
- religion and sects
- shared taboos
- shared beliefs that may/may not be religious in nature
- shared villains and/or opposing groups
- shared politics, both specific issues and ideology
- common cuisine and ingredients
- commonly shared substances for producing inebriated and altered states
- rituals, both mundane to grand
- formal organization that may designate the group in total, or act as a representation or representative of group
- commonly held days of significance
- physical places, may/may not be spiritually significant
- common for these places to become sites for pilgrimage, both in a literal and figurative sense
- commonly accepted relics/physical items with significance
- commonly accepted symbols of representation
- flags
- heraldic crests
- abstracted symbols
- common verbal phrases and slogans
- associated living creatures (animals, plants, ect)
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