Misemotion
An emotion that doesn’t fit the circumstances. Being misemotional isn’t simply about having complicated feelings regarding a complicated situation in life. Misemotion is about having feelings that aren’t rational given what’s happening.
Ref: Science of Survival, p. 49
Example:
Jake’s life is going very well. He’s got the job he always wanted, a wife who is a great partner and friend, and his future looks bright. But instead of rejoicing, he has an underlying anger for no reason he can put his finger on.
Hester’s life is falling apart. Her boyfriend just broke up with her, she got fired, and she’s going to lose her apartment at the end of the month. Instead of reacting with a sense of urgency to deal with these things, she feels blissful. She says “everything happens for a reason” and is waiting for something great to come her way.
Both Jake and Hester are reacting in ways that doesn’t seem logical based on their situations. They are both experiencing misemotion.
To learn more about human emotions, read Science of Survival and its accompanying Chart of Human Evaluation.
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