When you’re going through a heartache hell, or you’re gripped in the depths of The Fear (we’re looking at you every Sunday morning), it’d be easy to think your emotions can last a lifetime.
But now new research has shown just how long we’ll feel a tug at the heart strings… or a welling behind the eyes.
In a study by Philippe Verduyn and Saskia Lavrijsen, the team asked 200 students about the duration of their emotional experiences.
The students were quizzed on a range of emotions including fear, shame, disgust, happiness, hope and being touched – with irritation and relief amongst the shortest lasting emotions.
Not so much for sadness though – with the emotion lasting an average of 120 hours per person during an emotional episode. The research also found that the more recent the event, the more intense the reaction – which could result in higher, negative feelings being recorded.
The study concludes that the emotions that stick with us result from important life events and are associated with lots of reflection and emotional intelligence.
The study listed each emotion, and matched it with the average duration of its 'lasting power' in hours:
Study via Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Belgium
