Feelings and Emotions are often spoken of as being one and the same and it is easy to get them mixed up and confused. In fact, Feeling and Emotion are essentially different in neuroscience。
      根據大腦權威專家達瑪西奧博士（Antonio Damasio）對Emotions情感和Feelings感覺兩者本質的分辨："The essence of Emotion and the essence of Feeling are different. The world of       Emotions is largely one of actions carried out in our bodies such as facial expressions  and bodily postures. Feelings of Emotion are composite perceptions（知覺的合成物）of what happens in our body and mind when we are emoting（表露感情）"。Emotion情感，就其本質來講 ，是大腦神經通路所覺察到的身體狀態，和思想狀態發生的一組變化，而Feelings感覺，是對這些變化的經歷。
      Feelings和Emotions對於一般英語學習者，並不需要那麼複雜，我們只要擴充相關的字彙，留心其正確和自然的用法，那便足夠了。FeelING字義解釋是an awareness by your body of something in it or on it，相等於sensation或consciousness。例如：Feelings of joy/sorrow/anger/love。
      Feelings有Pleasant愉快的 and Unpleasant不快的兩大分野：You Feel happy的常用詞匯有： ecstatic/ cheerful/ delighted/contented。You Feel unhappy 的常用詞匯有：miserable/ disappointed/sick and tired/ fed up/ depressed/ frustrated。Generally, when you are excited興奮, you Feel inspired/ enthusiastic/thrilled。When you are extremely angry極怒, you       Feel furious /livid/ seething。When you are anxious焦慮, you Feel very nervous/  apprehensive/ worried/ upset。
      但請留意用法： you can use really, extremely, and very with most of the above adjectives, though usually not with extreme adjectives 本身己經非常強烈的感情字眼 (e.g. ecstatic, thrilled, livid, seething, furious ) 。
      Emotion情感，心理學的定義比較複雜，既表現為肉體上強烈的欲望，也表現為精神上緊張的情緒。Emotion的一般的解釋簡單得多，等於a strong Feeling 或passion such as love, hate, joy, fear, anger, grief 。愛、恨、樂、懼、怒、悲，都是情感的例子，亦即是the part of a person's character that consists of Feelings。在不同情況下，你用激情、情緒來繙譯Emotion這個字均可。Mixed Emotions指複雜混合的情緒，相等於mixed Feelings about doing something，即是 I am not sure if I want to do this or not。
      EmotionAL情感的= having strong Feelings and often showing excessive Emotion 往往表示強烈的感情：例如an Emotional young man指a passionate, sensitive,  sentimental guy易動感情的年青人。He delivers a very Emotional speech 他發表一篇動人心弦的演說。Capital punishment and abortion are Emotional issues死刑和墮胎，都是容易引起激烈爭論的議題  issues that cause people to Feel strong Emotions。An Emotional rollercoaster 可以是感情過山車那樣剌激。
      描述 Emotional experience的慣用語有：get Emotional/on top of the world/ at the end of your tether/ cry your eyes out/ go off your deep end/scream your head off /down in the dumps/ at your wits' end/  sob your heart out/ go to pieces等。
      Emotive means arousing Emotion or causing people to Feel strong Emotions, as opposed to reason通常有別於理智，表達激動人心、富感染力等意思。例如Emotive language有感染力的語言，a highly Emotive book 激動人心的作品，an Emotive issue 富爭議性的議題causing strong Emotions for or against something 。嚴格區分Emotional=affected by Emotion, showing strong Emotion ; Emotive=arousing Emotion。Mood多指心情、心境、情緒the state of the Feelings at a particular time。A Moody person is Emotional情緒化的人脾氣壞，容易鬧情緒：she is in one of her Moods。You are Moody means you often change and become angry or unhappy for no obvious reason喜怒無常。
      Moody和Sensitive類似，但後者有兩個意思 : a positive meaning : able to understand people's Feelings and problems善解人意，體恤別人; a more negative meaning : easily upset or offended e.g. she is sensitive about her weight or appearance容易生氣，神經過敏。心情大好是in a good Mood ； a Mood of optimism可以說in high spirits/ full of the joys of spring/ on top of the world。情緒低落是in a bad Mood ；You Feel angry or unhappy at a particular time悶悶不樂；You are in a foul Mood of despair。脾氣暴躁可以說：like a bear with a sore head 急性子。
      情緒和動詞一起搭配可考慮：your Mood changes. Things depend on your Mood/affect your Mood/lift your Mood，環境會影響心情，Mood swings。形容詞搭配情緒可選擇：defiant反抗的/festive喜氣洋洋的/upbeat樂觀的/lazy懶洋洋的 Mood 不同心情 。

      文：文世昌
      電郵 : [email protected]
      網址 : english6p.com