Scientists Study New Emotions Like 'Velvetmist'

Researchers are documenting a surge in 'neo-emotions,' new vocabulary used to describe complex feelings that emerge from modern life. A Reddit user recently coined the term 'velvetmist' to describe a feeling of floating comfort, highlighting how individuals are creating specific language for subtle experiences. Sociologist Marci Cottingham notes that these terms help people connect and make sense of a changing world.

This trend challenges the long-standing theory that humans possess a limited set of basic emotions. Experts like Lisa Feldman Barrett argue that feelings are culturally determined rather than biologically fixed. Studies suggest that developing a diverse emotional vocabulary, known as 'emodiversity,' is linked to better physical and mental health.

A Reddit user named noahjeadie recently generated the term 'velvetmist' using ChatGPT. The word describes a 'complex and subtle emotion that elicits feelings of comfort, serenity, and a gentle sense of floating.' Unlike simple contentment, this feeling is described as ephemeral and intangible, potentially evoked by a sunset or a moody album. While this specific term came from a chatbot, it represents a growing category of feelings identified by researchers.

Sociologist Marci Cottingham cites many other new terms currently circulating online. These include:

• Black joy: Celebrating embodied pleasure as a form of political resistance.
• Trans euphoria: The joy of having one’s gender identity affirmed.
• Eco-anxiety: The hovering fear of climate disaster.
• Hypernormalization: The surreal pressure to perform mundane life during a crisis.
• Doomscrolling: Being glued to an endless feed of bad news.

These coinages help people relate to one another and get significant engagement on social media.

The study of emotions is undergoing a major transformation. For decades, the prevailing theory argued that humans share a set of roughly half a dozen basic emotions. However, Lisa Feldman Barrett, a clinical psychologist at Northeastern University, has become one of the most cited scientists for work demonstrating otherwise. By using advanced brain imaging and studying people from isolated cultures, she concluded there is no fixed 'basic emotional palette.'

Barrett argues that emotions are learned rather than innate. 'How do you know what anger and sadness and fear are? Because somebody taught you,' Barrett says. This view places emphasis on social and cultural variations in how experiences are interpreted. As a sociologist, Marci Cottingham views emotions as practical tools: 'We think of all emotions as created... emotions are a practical resource people are using as they navigate the world.'

Creating or learning new emotion words may offer tangible benefits. Research supports the value of emotional granularity—the ability to use detailed and specific words to describe feelings. Experts analogize this 'emodiversity' to biodiversity, arguing that a more diverse world is more enriched.

People who exhibit higher emotional granularity tend to experience better health outcomes. Studies indicate these individuals:

1. Visit the doctor less frequently.
2. Spend fewer days hospitalized for illness.
3. Are less likely to engage in risky behaviors like drinking or smoking when stressed.

Furthermore, emodiversity is a skill that can be developed at any age through training. Whether it is 'velvetmist' or a coined term like 'chiplessness'—the relief of finishing a bag of chips—naming specific feelings helps people reflect and connect.