Emotion wheel: needs satisfied or unsatisfied
Two halves: feelings that often show up when a need is met, and when it is not.
pixy-emotion-wheel-needs-a4.pdf · pixy-emotion-wheel-needs-letter.pdf
List of emotions: 72 feelings with definitions
Every emotion in the Pixy mood tracker, each with a one-line definition. Find the word for what you feel, then learn how naming it helps.
All 72 emotions
Grouped the way Pixy groups them, from very pleasant to very unpleasant. Every emotion has its own link.
72 of 72 emotions
Pixy's five groups, from very pleasant to very unpleasant. This is how the app sorts them.
Very pleasant emotions13
Pleasant emotions15
Neutral and mixed emotions12
Unpleasant emotions16
Very unpleasant emotions16
How we sorted. “Pleasant / unpleasant” starts from Pixy's five groups: very pleasant and pleasant count as pleasant, unpleasant and very unpleasant as unpleasant. “Neutral” is its own group for emotions with no clear tone, or where it depends on the situation. 8 emotions differ from the app group because their definition says otherwise, for example Thankful (pleasant) and Confused (unpleasant). “Needs satisfied / unsatisfied” follows the feelings lists of nonviolent communication: feelings we have when needs are met, and when they are not. Every emotion is in exactly one group per view. These are judgment calls, not a diagnosis.
This list helps you find words. It is not a diagnosis. If heavy feelings last for weeks or get in the way of daily life, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional.
Free printable emotion wheels
Two wheels with all 72 emotions, as PDF for A4 or US Letter. Stronger emotions sit near the center, milder ones toward the edge. Hang one up or keep it in your journal.
Emotion wheel: pleasant, neutral, unpleasant
Three sectors: start with how a feeling feels, then find the exact word.
pixy-emotion-wheel-pleasantness-a4.pdf · pixy-emotion-wheel-pleasantness-letter.pdf
Emotions vs feelings vs moods
People use the three words as if they meant the same. Psychologists separate them by how long they last and how clear the cause is.
Emotion
A short reaction to something that happens. Your body reacts too: heart rate, breath, face.
- Lasts
- Seconds to minutes
- Cause
- Clear trigger
- Example
- You feel angry when someone cuts in line.
Feeling
The way you experience an emotion and put it into words. It is your conscious read of what your body does.
- Lasts
- As long as you notice it
- Cause
- An emotion you are aware of
- Example
- “I’m annoyed, and my jaw is tight.”
Mood
A longer, milder state that colors the whole day. You often cannot say what caused it.
- Lasts
- Hours to days
- Cause
- Often no single cause
- Example
- A grumpy day after poor sleep.
In everyday speech the words overlap, and that is fine. This page uses “emotion” and “feeling” for the words in the list, and “mood” for the overall rating of your day.
Why naming emotions helps
Psychologists call it affect labeling: putting a feeling into words. Research suggests it can take some of the edge off a strong emotion.
Naming can calm the brain’s alarm
In a 2007 UCLA brain-imaging study, people looked at angry or scared faces. When they picked a word for the emotion, their amygdala reacted less than when they picked a name for the person. A region in the prefrontal cortex that helps regulate emotion became more active.
It works without trying to feel better
A 2018 review describes affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation. You do not try to change the feeling. You only name it, and the emotional response often gets smaller anyway.
The effect can last beyond the moment
In a 2012 study, people afraid of spiders described their feelings while near a live spider. A week later their bodies reacted less to a new spider than people who used other strategies. Their self-reported fear was about the same.
Precise words help more than vague ones
“Bad” is one word. “Disappointed”, “lonely” and “exhausted” are three different problems with three different fixes. Research on emotional granularity links finer distinctions between negative emotions with healthier ways of coping under stress.
Most of these studies ran in labs with small groups, and effects are modest. Naming a feeling is a helpful habit, not a treatment.
How to name what you feel in 3 steps
Use this as a quick emotional check-in, once a day or whenever a feeling gets loud.
- 1
Pause and notice your body
Take one slow breath. Where do you feel something: chest, stomach, shoulders, face? Is your energy high or low?
- 2
Pick pleasant or unpleasant, then narrow it down
Start broad: does this feel pleasant, unpleasant, or mixed? Then scan that group in the list above and pick the word that fits best. Two or three words are fine.
- 3
Add the why and write it down
Finish the sentence “I feel … because …”. A short note turns a passing feeling into something you can look back on and learn from.
List of moods for your mood tracker
A mood tracker works best with two layers: one rating for the day and a few words for the emotions behind it. Here are both, ready to copy into a bullet journal or a spreadsheet.
Rate your mood on 7 colors
This is Pixy’s mood scale. Seven steps give enough room for an average day without making you agonize over the choice.
- Excellent
- Very good
- Good
- Neutral
- Not so good
- Very bad
- Terrible
Then pick from 30 starter emotions
These are the 30 emotions Pixy shows first. They cover most days. Add the other 42 when you want more precise words.
- Energized
- Excited
- Happy
- Hopeful
- Inspired
- Loved
- Proud
- Relieved
- Balanced
- Calm
- Content
- Grateful
- Motivated
- Bored
- Confused
- Overwhelmed
- Surprised
- Tired
- Disappointed
- Hopeless
- Lonely
- Stressed
- Worried
- Angry
- Annoyed
- Frustrated
- Guilty
- Nervous
- Sad
- Weak
Tips
- Log at the same time every day, for example before bed.
- Pick one to three emotions per entry. More gets hard to compare later.
- Keep your list stable for a month, so the counts mean something.
Want to see a whole year at once? Read about the Year in Pixels mood calendar.
List or emotion wheel?
An emotion wheel arranges feelings in rings: a few core emotions in the middle, finer words toward the edge. The best known are Robert Plutchik’s wheel of emotions and Gloria Willcox’s Feeling Wheel from 1982.
A wheel is great for exploring. A list is faster when you already know roughly what you feel and want the exact word. Pixy uses a list, sorted from very pleasant to very unpleasant, and shows a definition when you pick a word.
Want a wheel anyway? Print one of the two free wheels above. They use the same 72 words as the list.
In the app
How Pixy helps you name emotions
09:41
How did you feel?
Missing one?
Statistics
Emotions
Your most felt emotions.
9xCalm
4xContent
5xExcited
11xGrateful
14xHappy
7xLoved
3xTired
Rate your day on 7 colors, then tap the emotions that fit. Try it on the phone: tap an emotion to see its description.
- 72 emotions, each with a short description
- 30 shown first, 42 more one tap away
- Pick as many as fit, per entry
- Statistics show the emotions you log most
- Monthly reports list your top emotions
- No account, data stays on your phone
Reviews
Loved by People Who Tried Other Apps
4.9
App Store4.7
Google PlayFAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no fixed number. Some researchers name 6 basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust). A 2017 study mapped 27 distinct categories. Everyday language has hundreds of words. Pixy uses 72, enough to be precise without a long scroll.
An emotion is the short reaction of your body and mind to something that happens. A feeling is how you experience that emotion and put it into words. A mood lasts longer, is milder, and often has no clear cause.
No emotion is wrong to have. It helps to think of them as pleasant or unpleasant instead. Unpleasant emotions like fear or sadness carry useful information, for example that something matters to you or that you need rest.
Putting a feeling into words, called affect labeling, can reduce how strongly you react to it. A 2007 UCLA study found less amygdala activity when people labeled an emotion. Precise words also make it easier to see what you need.
A short pause to ask yourself how you feel and why. Rate your overall mood, name one to three emotions, and add a sentence about what happened. A daily check-in takes about a minute.
Start with one rating for the whole day, for example a 7-step scale from terrible to excellent. Add a few emotions from a fixed list, like the 30 starter emotions on this page. A stable list makes your counts comparable over time.
Yes. Use the “Print or save as PDF” button above the list. It prints only the list, with colors, so you can keep it in a journal or on your desk.
Not in the app. Pixy uses a list of 72 emotions, sorted from very pleasant to very unpleasant, and shows a short description for each one you pick. This page has two free printable emotion wheels with the same 72 words: one by needs satisfied or unsatisfied, one by pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant.
Name today’s feelings in under a minute
Pixy is free, has no ads and needs no account. Your entries stay on your phone.
4.9 App Store4.7 Google Play700+ ratings