How Emotions Are Made

“Utka Eskimos have no concept of “Anger.” The Tahitians have no concept of “Sadness.” This last item is very difficult for Westerners to accept… life without sadness? Really? When Tahitians are in a situation that a Westerner would describe as sad, they feel ill, troubled, fatigued, or unenthusiastic, all of which are covered by their broader term pe’ape’a.”

From How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, via an article on New Neuroscience Reveals 3 Secrets That Will Make You Emotionally Intelligent

3 Comments leave a comment below

  1. e’ape’a. Exactly

  2. The last word should be: pe’ape’a (you’re missing the first “p”).

  3. Thanks for pointing that out.