Common Triggers
- →Achieving a personal goal
- →Receiving good news
- →Celebrating with loved ones
- →Experiencing natural beauty
- →Winning a competition
- →Acts of kindness from others
Physical Sensations
- •Racing heart
- •Warm glow in the chest
- •Lightness in the step
- •Broad smile
- •Increased energy
- •Tingling sensation
Plutchik's Emotion Wheel
Working with This Emotion
Recognize
Elation can be recognized by a racing heart, a broad smile, and an overall sense of lightness. You might feel like dancing or laughing uncontrollably. Facial expressions often include bright eyes and a radiant smile. Words associated with elation include 'amazing,' 'ecstatic,' 'jubilant,' and 'gleeful.'
Understand
Common causes of elation include achieving personal goals, receiving good news, celebrating special occasions, and experiencing moments of natural beauty. It can also arise from social connections and acts of kindness.
Label
To label elation precisely, consider the intensity and context. Distinguish it from similar emotions like joy (which is less intense) or excitement (which is more anticipatory). Elation is a high-intensity form of joy, often accompanied by a sense of accomplishment or celebration.
Express
Healthy ways to express elation include sharing your happiness with others, celebrating in meaningful ways, and engaging in activities that amplify the positive energy. Dancing, laughing, and expressing gratitude are all excellent outlets for this emotion.
Regulate
When elation feels overwhelming, take deep breaths to ground yourself. Engage in calming activities like meditation or a quiet walk. Reflect on what triggered the elation and consider how you can sustain these positive feelings without becoming overly excited.
Co-occurring Emotions
Emotions that frequently appear alongside elation, based on the NRC Emotion Lexicon.
Associated Words
Words associated with elation from the NRC Emotion Lexicon.
Using Inner
Using Inner, you can track patterns in your elation to understand what triggers it and how often it occurs. Pay attention to body signals like a racing heart or a warm glow, and journal about the specific moments that bring you this intense joy. Over time, you can develop strategies to cultivate more of these positive experiences and regulate them when they feel overwhelming.
Try Inner for FreeSources & References
- —RULER Framework (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
- —Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions
- —Geneva Emotion Wheel
- —Lisa Feldman Barrett - How Emotions Are Made
Related Content
Joy
A feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
Ecstasy
An overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement.
Euphoria
A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.
Bliss
Perfect happiness; great joy.
Contentment
A state of peaceful satisfaction.
The Self
The archetype of wholeness and the regulating center of the psyche.