The strange importance of emotional vocabulary
I remember when I first heard the word “toska” (тоска), a Russian word that very loosely translates to “a deep yearning for something you can’t define”. I had been working in academia for a decade, trying like hell to gain attention on my work. Everything I did just seemed to…never quite be enough. I’d show people what I’d done and they’d smile, but then shrug and move on. I believed what I was doing was important, but could never communicate that to anyone or get them to understand how I saw the world. After awhile, this sense of resignation crept over me, and never really left again.
But then I learned that word. I don’t know if the pervasive sorrow I had been feeling was precisely toska; I am not Russian and do not have that heritage to know for sure. But knowing that such a feeling existed, that other people had experienced something so similar they created an actual word for it, changed the nature of my angst. Suddenly, the feeling wasn’t as sharp. Where I’d previously felt cut off from humanity, I now felt part of it again. This was kind of important for me.
Across cultures, people have coined exquisitely specific words for emotional experiences that English fails to capture. Researcher Tim Lomas has spent years cataloguing these terms, showing how language gives shape to the subtle textures of our inner lives. These words are extremely important. As Lisa Feldman Barrett argues, having precise labels for our feelings doesn’t just enrich our vocabulary — it actually calms the nervous system, helping the brain make sense of bodily sensations. When we learn words from other languages, we inherit new ways of understanding ourselves. We’re also reminded that whatever we might feel, no matter how intensely or strangely, we’re never alone.
With that spirit in mind, I’ve borrowed a partial list of words from Dr. Lomas’ site and plotted them on an interactive globe you can spin, explore, and click. Poke around and see if you can find something you recognize but couldn’t previously name!
Geoff Crane designs research-backed tools to make so-called “soft skills” concrete, measurable, and deeply human. After more than two decades in industry and another decade in personal intelligence research and program design, his work now supports coaches, educators, and organisations that want to understand people more clearly and help them grow with care.
Curious about your own patterns of emotion, connection, and motivation? You can complete the MIPI Short for free on my home page and receive a brief feedback report to start exploring your personal intelligence.
