Getting Emotional
Bex Lindsay
Ever felt vemödalen? Or presque vu? Or mudita? No? Well, maybe you have, and you just didn't realise it. Getting Emotional is about obscure emotions you may have felt, but had no idea there was a name for. Each week we'll focus on a different feeling or notion, and talk to guests who can tell us more about where they came from, and if they've felt them too.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/getting-emotional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fago- with Bilal Zafar
The act of caring for someone is important, brave, and selfless. It requires love and compassion, sure, but sometimes it's also inspired by pity and vulnerability of the other person. You're doing it all whilst knowing that it can't last forever; maybe they'll get stronger and not need you anymore, maybe they'll pass away, or maybe you'll leave them.All these factors come into play in this emotion: fago. It's a mixture of feelings that build into a broad combination of love, compassion and pity,
Kaukokaipuu- with Hand Luggage Only
Ever wanted to travel somewhere in particular, and you have no idea why? Perhaps somewhere you haven't been before, but you feel like if you were to get there, you'd suddenly feel...at home? Because that's what this feeling means. It's extreme wanderlust, an urge to travel, and almost feeling homesick for a place you've never been to. To describe it, I travel back to my old pals, the Finns, who created this beautiful- and very tricky to pronounce- word. (If nothing else, you'll enjoy the progres
Uhtcaere- with Stig Abell
You're lying in bed, awake. It's 5.45am. Your mind wanders. Should you get up now? Is your packed lunch ready? Will you go to the gym? Have you paid your rent? All of these things play into the feeling of 'uhtcaere'- lying in bed, worrying about the day ahead before it's even started. The emotion comes from an Anglo-Saxon poem, The Wife's Lament, where a woman is bereft without her beloved. Although the poem is fantastically vague, we know it's about a woman looking for her partner. And most of
La Cuna- with The Turner Twins and Jonathan Kolby
Shackleton! Columbus! Attenborough! They're all people who have ruined it for the rest of us. Well, according to this emotion, La Cuna. It's a twinge of sadness that we maybe know too much about the world around us. In exploring everything we possibly can, we've ruined the mystery, the possibility, and excitement of it, for future generations. But are explorers even a thing anymore? It turns out, yes! I found The Turner Twins (@TheTurnerTwins), who have some fascinating adventures under their be
The Ick- with Aaliyah Harry
You might know it from Love Island. You might know it from Ally McBeal. You might know it from feeling this way about a Tinder date last night. It's the ultimate in turn-offs, The Ick. This feeling is a gut reaction. A sudden and sharp revulsion, a feeling that the person you're romantically attached with has suddenly become...well, icky. This normally occurs relatively early on in a relationship, and the causes can be anything- from the way that person crosses a road, to the way you imagine the
Series 3 is coming...
Oh hi, friend. How are you? It's been a long time, I know. But thanks for sticking around. Series 3 is back after a longer hiatus than expected (I'll explain more if you listen) and I'm ready and raring to go with more emotions and guests than you can shake a stick at.This series has comedian Rufus Hound, broadcaster and writer Stig Abell, explorer brothers The Turner Twins, and loads more besides! It's going to be a rollercoaster of brand new emotions, and I can't wait for you to hear what I ha
Getting Emotional: End of Season 2
IT IS THE END. Sorry to be dramatic, I had to get your attention. It's the end of season 2 and I'm just...y'know, emotional about it. It's been a ride, eh? Through this series we've met some incredible people, learnt about some amazing emotions, and we've all had a little cry. Oh, just me on that last one? Right.Anyway, to celebrate the end, here's a few snippets of some great interviews that I didn't get to include- we have Nish Kumar and I geeking out about comedy, Dr Soph Mort telling us it's
Basorexia
Ever fancied a cheeky snog on a night out? Or a romantic embrace with the love of your life? Or even a peck on the cheek of an elderly relative? Then it sounds like you've felt basorexia: the sudden urge to kiss someone. This emotion is urgent, quick, and acted upon almost immediately. And it's also not one that is easy to get a guest for, so instead, I got loads! Listeners sent in their memories of feeling this emotion, and were kind enough to let me include them in the show. (Thank you so much
Ruinenlust- with Angela Barnes
Picture this: you're wandering around a crumbling castle, fascinated by the ruins, totally lost in the history of it all. Not only are you amazed by its beauty, you're also heavily reminded of the past, present and future. These ruins of a once-grand building inspire a feeling of obsession, pleasure, and wonder. It's ruinenlust.This is a German word, and describes the feeling of pleasure you take when exploring old ruins. But 'ruins' don't have to be a castle- it could be a column, a church, a..
Qualunquismo- with Femi Oluwole
Step aside, Paxman! There's a new political interviewer in town! Well, kind of. Because today I'm delving into 'qualunquismo', a word that has befuddled my autocorrect and my own tongue, as I learn to both spell and pronounce it. This feeling comes from Italy, and was coined in the post-war period to describe a political movement that tried to rally against party politics. It's influenced by apathy bordering on contempt, for politics and the politicians within- a mistrust of the whole political
Gender Euphoria- with Laura Kate Dale
This might be one of the more important emotions I've explored, and also one of the emotions I am least qualified to talk about. So I spoke to someone who is: writer Laura Kate Dale!Gender Euphoria is the joy you feel when thinking about your true gender identity, and it's mostly associated with the transgender or non-binary community. It can occur in different ways, for different reasons. And it's a happy feeling, a feeling of enjoyment and delight. So let's celebrate it!Laura has recently rele
With Haggard Hawks
I've gone rogue. I've done a Getting Emotional Special. Because this week isn't about one emotion- it's about LOADS of emotions. And I have an word expert (wexpert?) to help me out. I got in touch with Twitter behemoth Haggard Hawks, aka Paul Anthony Jones, to chat all things words, and boy- he was a fount of knowledge! Paul very kindly shared some words with me that I just hadn't come across in my research, and they're so, so good. Have you felt channel-fever? Imp of the Perverse? Sphexishness?
Toska- with Dr Sophie Mort
A podcast with free therapy and extracts from my teenage diary? I'm spoiling you, I really am. Full disclosure, this emotion is intense. Toska is a Russian feeling- often billed as untranslatable, but I've given it a good try. It's a longing for something when you don't know what you're longing for, an anguish, a sadness, a boredom. It's....a bit of a downer.If you're feeling melancholic, or perhaps during lockdown just felt pretty rubbish, you might recognise this emotion. You'll also be happy
Brabant- with Nish Kumar
Welcome back! It's a new season of Getting Emotional and it's a bumper episode! This week we're talking about the word 'Brabant', invented in the 80s by writer Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and TV producer John Lloyd. Yes, it's the name of a principality of the Netherlands, but it's also the word for the joy you feel in pushing someone's buttons. It's a fun game- how far can you push them, will you get them annoyed, and will they appreciate this teasing?So I trie
Series 2 is coming...
Look, it's been a while. I know that, you know that. But I promise all this time away from the mic hasn't been in vain- I've been cooking up a rather brilliant new series for you. I have great guests! I have great emotions! I have great sound effects! What more could you want, eh?!Guests this series include comedians Nish Kumar and Angela Barnes, Paul Anthony Jones (aka Haggard Hawks), Femi Oluwole and Dr Sophie Mort. Plus I have some other little surprises up my sleeve too. So this is just a li
Getting Emotional: End of Season 1
It's The End! (Kind of.) It's the last episode of the series, so it's time to look back with a little rewind and recap. Over the last few weeks I've spoken to a lot of incredible people, and sometimes I didn't get time to include everything they told me in the main episodes. So in this one, you can hear extra snippets from Rankin (who also accidentally gives the most hilarious answer to a question I've ever had), Danny Wallace, Dr L, and Rosalie Craig. (From the episodes on vemodalen, goya, lime
Sisu- with Clare Balding and Dr Hilary Virtanen
Here in Britain, we're known for having a 'stiff upper lip'.But do other countries have an equivalent? Well, Finland certainly does! And they called it 'sisu'. It's about grit, determination, and working toward a goal. It's a willingness to keep on going, even though you might not win the battle you're fighting. Hey, even if you don't win, the victory is in trying. There's no direct translation in English, so I've done my best to dig out the spirit of the word. And I've come to the conclusion it
Presque vu and Jamais vu
You hear 'vu', you think of 'déjà', right? Yeah, fair enough, most people do. But did you know that déjà has two siblings, often overlooked? I'm talking about presque and jamais, and I'd argue they bring just as much to the table as their big sister does. The Vus (I like to think of them as a girl band, by the way) comprise of three states of mind, all pretty common, but one just more famous than the others. Déjà, as you may already know, roughly means 'already seen'- but what of the two others?
Too Much Birthday- with Annie Armstrong
When you're sad, you cry. But what do you do when you're happy? Sometimes, you have an overwhelming amount of joy and just don't know what to do with it. Maybe you feel overwhelmed and leave the situation, maybe you get stressed out, or maybe you feel the emotional version of a sugar rush, and sugar crash. This idea of 'debilitating joy' was one I found on The Cut, a site that's part of the New York magazine family. It was written about by Annie Armstrong, and she kindly agreed to tell me a litt
Philoprogenitiveness- with Rosalie Craig
Today, we're representing the parents. This feeling- the impulse of parental love- will be familiar to many, and so unknown to others. I'm in the latter category, so I needed an interesting mum to talk to, and boy did I find one!Rosalie Craig (@Rosiemae on twitter) is an exceptional award-winning actress, appearing on stage and screen. Most recently, you may have seen her onstage in The Ferryman, City of Angels, or the ground-breaking revival of Stephen Sondheim's Company. She's also a mum, and
Goya- with Sheraz Ali and Danny Wallace
A great story gets into your head; niggles its way into your mind, and makes you feel like you actually lived in it. When you close the book, turn off the TV or leave the cinema, those characters, for a split-second, still hang out in your head. The thing you're feeling is goya- the suspension of disbelief caused by such good and immersive storytelling. In this episode we get to the origin of the word- it comes from Urdu, and seems to have been re-translated a few times over to get to where it i
Limerence- with Dr L
You fancy someone. You think about them for a bit. Then you think about them even more, and more, and...suddenly, they've taken over your life, they live in your head rent-free. That's limerence. It's a state of extreme romantic infatuation, and can veer wildly between euphoria (when the daydreams are fun, or you're in the early stages of this feeling) to dismay (when you've still not caught the other person's eye and all seems lost.) In this episode I find out more about it- is it a state of mi
Mudita- with Stevie Martin and Gina Martin
Is there someone you think is brilliant? Who you're firmly rooting for? Whose every success delights you, no questions asked? Then you may be feeling mudita. It's a beaut concept, and mostly affiliated with Buddhist teachings. The idea is a vicarious joy you feel on behalf of someone else; you have no self-interest for the other person, you're just there, on their team, by their side, willing them to do well.In this episode I speak to sisters Gina Martin and Stevie Martin, who I'd suspected migh
Mono no Aware- with Sonoko Ishii
Today we zoom over to Tokyo, and find out about the bittersweet feeling of Mono no Aware. It's a delicate emotion; both happy and sad, and one that's mostly used to reference the brief blooming of the cherry blossom trees in Japan. The nation are delighted to see it happen but sad to see it end, which perfectly encapsulates what Mono no Aware is all about. A joy, accompanied by a knowing sadness that the joy will not last long. Translator Sonoko Ishii, who is from Japan and works mostly with the
Vemödalen- with Rankin
Ever taken a picture, thought it would be brilliant, then looked at your camera to realise it just...wasn't? That crushing disapppointment has a name, and it's- you guessed it- vemödalen. This week we talk to legendary photographer Rankin about his thought on the emotion. Has he felt it before? Why does he think we feel it more so often nowadays? And, ultimately, how has photography changed in the last 100 years, if at all? We delve into those holiday pics, school photos and airbrushed selfies t
Trailer
Getting Emotional is a new podcast from Bex Lindsay, all about emotions you may have felt but had no idea there was a name for. Each week we'll find out more about these feelings- where they came from, what they mean, and how they change the way we interact with the world. Sometimes, we'll chat to experts or people who have felt them, to find out more.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/getting-emotional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.