Scientific research shows that the universality of emotions is a myth. Scientific facts refute this notion. Boddis notes that while we may imagine that a carpenter feels pain just like we do, in reality, this may be far from the truth.
The study of emotions and feelings is a relatively new field that has been actively developing over the past two decades, while other historical disciplines, such as military or medieval history, remain less relevant. Boddis is one of the founders of the Center of Excellence in the History of Experiences at Tampere University in Finland, where he focuses on emotions and feelings. His research emphasizes nuances such as the smells of 19th-century cities and the depth of grief expressed in the letters of widows during World War I. He seeks to combine feelings and experiences into a single concept called "experience."
Boddis is skeptical of the widely accepted notion of six basic emotions—happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust—identified by psychologist Paul Ekman in the 1960s and 70s. He believes these emotions are not universal and cannot be applied to all people. For example, the Pixar movie "Inside Out" anthropomorphizes emotions by presenting them as characters, which Boddis argues creates a false representation of feelings. The use of emojis in children's education also simplifies the understanding of emotions, which can be much more complex and multifaceted.
Boddis believes that projecting modern emotions onto historical figures, such as Eloise and Abelard from the 12th century, distorts our understanding of the past. We assume that the feelings experienced by people in the past were the same as ours; however, Boddis asserts that this is not the case. Each historical experience is unique and cannot be fully understood by a modern person.
According to Boddis, emotions are not immutable and universal. He emphasizes that humanity's experiences in different eras differ, and understanding feelings requires a deep analysis of the historical context. The sensations we experience depend on cultural and social factors, and they cannot be reduced to simple categories.
The historian utilizes modern achievements in neurobiology, which confirm that our minds possess high plasticity. Lisa Feldman Barrett, a researcher in affective sciences, argues that the brain shapes our feelings based on previous experiences and cultural contexts. This underscores that the perception of emotions varies depending on cultural differences.
Returning to the medieval carpenter who hit his finger, Boddis emphasizes that his perception of pain depends on many factors: the frequency of such injuries, religious beliefs, and notions of suffering. These aspects can significantly influence how he perceives his pain.
For a deeper understanding of feelings, Boddis calls for considering all the conditions that could have influenced the perception of emotions in a historical context. He believes that it is necessary to study art, theology, and archaeological finds to recreate the unique experiences of people in the past.
Boddis pays special attention to pain. At first glance, one might think that pain is universal, but in practice, its perception varies. Each person describes pain differently, based on cultural context. For example, different eras had various notions of diseases and suffering, which also affect the perception of pain.
Boddis and his colleagues in the book "Emotion, Feeling, Experience" propose to reconsider traditional views on feelings and emotions. They argue that it is necessary to break down stereotypes about what it means to be human and to take into account the diversity of human experience.
In his work, Boddis explores how the perception of emotions has changed throughout history, starting with the "Iliad," where Achilles experiences not just anger, but a more complex feeling that is difficult to translate into modern language. This study emphasizes that understanding emotions requires a deep analysis of context and time.
Recognizing that feelings may differ between cultures and eras, Boddis stresses that universal approaches to emotions can be misleading. In this context, the work of Jan Plamper, who investigates the perception of the Russian Revolution of 1917, becomes significant. Plamper focuses on the sounds and smells that characterized this era and how they changed during the revolutionary events.
By comparing perceptions of the revolution, Plamper shows how people adapted to new sounds and sensations. For example, the initial fear of gunfire quickly shifted to a habituation to the sounds of shooting, which also reflected a change in the perception of time and space in the context of the revolution.
While Boddis challenges the idea of the universality of human emotions, Javier Moscoso, a professor at the Spanish National Research Council, explores continuity in sensations such as swaying. He believes that through the centuries, the sensation of swaying has been associated with both eroticism and death, creating a common context for understanding human experiences.
Ultimately, despite the differences, the desire to understand the feelings of others remains universal. The question of what emotions others experience continues to be relevant. This curiosity about the emotions of others is one of the key characteristics of human nature.
