15 "untranslatable" emotions that you never knew

Have You ever felt a slight "mbuki-muuki" is an irresistible desire to throw off their clothes as they dance? Or, maybe, a little "kilig" is a bit of a nervous, trembling feeling when you tell someone that you like? How about "uitwaaien", which means "regenerating and refreshing walk in the wind"? These words, taken from the Bantu, Tagalog and Dutch, it is hardly possible to find a direct equivalent in our language, but they are a very accurate emotional experience, which is neglected in our language. "Gigil", "shinrin-yoku", "tarab" — there are many foreign words that do not have our equivalent. Perhaps, after reading them, you will wonder how you had not noticed such feelings.

Tim Lomas University of East London believes that these words may soon become more familiar to all of us. Project a positive lexicography Lomas aims to capture the many flavors of pleasant feelings (some of which clearly have a bitter taste) around the world in the hope that some of them will be able to include in the usual life of a typical Englishman. We definitely borrowed a lot of emotions from other languages, but many have not yet entered in our dictionaries. Lomas found hundreds of these "untranslatable" emotions — and he just started. Studying these words, he hopes that people will gain a more nuanced understanding of themselves. They offer a whole new way to look at the world.

Lomas said that the first was inspired to learn about the Finnish concept "Sisu", which is a kind of "extraordinary determination in the face of adversity". According to speakers of the Finnish language, foreign ideas of "hardness", "perseverance" or "determination" are not very close to the description of the internal forces, encapsulated in their own term. She was "untranslatable" in the sense that she has no direct or close equivalent in the same English dictionary, is able to capture this deep resonance.

Intrigued, he began to hunt for other examples, studying the scientific literature and interviewing foreign friends in search of possible options. The first results of this project were published in the Journal of Positive Psychology last year.

Let's analyze these unusual terms. We will try to present the transliterated version not to bring here all sorts of characters, you still have not sounded.

the
• Desbordar (Portuguese) — to reveal other people's bans on the fun
the
• Tarab (Arabic) — caused by music a state of ecstasy or fascination
the
• Shinrin-yoku (Japanese), the relaxation obtained in the process of bathing in the woods, figuratively or literally
the
• Gigil (Tagalog) — overwhelming urge to pinch or squeeze someone because I love him and am glad for it

Yuan Bay (Chinese) — feeling full and perfect performance the

• Itsuko (Inuit) — the feeling when waiting for someone and constantly go out or look outside to check, not whether he

Others are more complex and deep experience that may be important to our growth and prosperity.

the
• Natsukashi (Japanese) — a nostalgic longing for the past, the simultaneous happiness and sadness by what is no
the
• Wabi-Sabi (Japanese) — "modest simplicity", based on transience and imperfection is beauty
the
• Saudade (Portuguese) melancholic longing or nostalgia for a person, place or thing that is either distant in time or in space — a vague, dreamy desire for phenomenon, which may even not exist
the
• Zensoft (German) — literally, "life's ambition", a strong desire for alternative States and incarnations of life, even if they are unreachable

In addition to these emotions, lexicography Lomas also notice the personal characteristics and behaviour, which could determine our long-term prosperity and the way we communicate with other people.

the
• Dadirri (Australian aboriginal) — a deep, spiritual act of reflexive and respectful listening
the
• Pihentagy (Hungarian) — literally, "with a relaxed brain", describes smart people who can come up with elaborate jokes or solutions
the
• Desenrascanco (Portuguese) — nice to get out of an unpleasant situation
the
• Sukha (Sanskrit) — genuine, lasting happiness independent of circumstances
the
• orenda (Huron) the power of the human will to change the world in the face of such powerful forces as the fate

Lomas recognizes that many of the descriptions still only an approximation of the true meaning of the term. To convey feeling, which is not accustomed from childhood, difficult words will inevitably get simulacrum.

In the future, Lomas hopes that other psychologists will begin to examine the causes and consequences of these emotions and experiences to expand our understanding of the emotions of other countries, nationalities, and races. And it is not only of scientific interest; after reading new emotions, though verbal, we can change ourselves, to begin to pay attention to feelings that have long been ignored.

"In our stream of consciousness — like the different sensations, feelings, emotions — a lot passes you by," says Lomas. "The feelings that we have learned to recognize, and which received from us the labels we are familiar, but others, we do not even think".