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Department of Psychology

Emotional World

Emotions shape our experiences, relationships, and decisions. In an emotional world, empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence help navigate challenges and create supportive environments. Emotions inspire, heal, and build meaningful connections.

A person sitting with their elbows on their knees, their hands clasped and covering their face.

Understanding the science of feelings, connection, and communication

Emotions are central to how we as human experience the world.

They shape our relationships, influence decision-making, and drive behaviour. From the classroom to the workplace, from personal wellbeing to group dynamics. In the emotional world, empathy, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness are key to navigating challenges and fostering meaningful connection.

At Essex, we are uncovering how emotions function - not just as internal experiences but as powerful social tools. This research equips future professionals and organisations alike with the insight needed to support mental health, improve communication, build trust, and connect more deeply in an increasingly complex world.

Some recent highlights

Boosting emotional wellbeing in neurodivergent children

Sleep interventions designed for children with ADHD and autism spectrum conditions don’t just improve rest, they help reduce emotional distress and improve family life.

Understanding the emotional toll of poor sleep helps support long-term developmental and behavioural outcomes.

Emotions and everyday choices

From what we eat to how we respond to advertising, emotions guide decision-making.

Our work explores how moods and feelings shape consumption, providing insights valuable to marketing, behavioural science, and public health initiatives.

Reducing intergroup conflict

When people feel their identity is under threat - whether due to race, religion, gender, or nationality - strong emotions can fuel tension.

Our research shows how helping people manage those emotional responses leads to better understanding between groups and more constructive social dialogue.

Non-verbal behaviour and trust

Facial expressions, vocal tone, and subtle cues often speak louder than words.

Our research examines how humans judge trustworthiness and intention based on expressions of emotion, from pain to joy. This has implications for leadership, healthcare, law enforcement, and digital communication.

Parasocial relationships in a media world

In an age of YouTubers and virtual influencers, people form deep emotional bonds with media figures they’ve never met.

These one-sided relationships can help fulfil emotional needs, reduce loneliness, and shape identity, especially among younger generations. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for industries from education to entertainment.

Empathy in communication

Whether in healthcare, customer service, or teamwork, how we perceive others’ emotions and how our own empathy shapes that perception plays a vital role in connection.

Our research highlights how emotional resonance can strengthen as well as weaken relationships and knowing about this helps improve social outcomes.

Why it matters

Emotions affect every part of our lives! How we connect with others, make decisions, cope with challenges, and find meaning. Understanding how emotions work helps us build stronger relationships, support mental health, and create more compassionate communities. At Essex, we are helping people learn how to manage emotions more effectively, improve communication, and feel more connected, whether that’s between parents and children, teachers and students, colleagues at work, or strangers online.

Our work helps shape better schools, more inclusive workplaces, and smarter public services. It helps us respond to big issues like loneliness, conflict, or emotional wellbeing in a fast-changing world. Exploring the emotional world can open up new ways to understand and support the people around us.

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