Emotions are data, not verdicts

The move: treat emotion cues as evidence, not proof. Emotion cues matter. A sudden stillness, tightened jaw, flat voice, or fast smile can tell you the work has hit something important. Ekman’s framework gives you a starting vocabulary for the family of response you may be seeing. Fear often points to threat or uncertainty. Anger often points to a blocked goal or crossed boundary. Sadness often points to loss. Surprise often points to new information. Enjoyment often points to approach and openness. But cue-reading fails when the first label becomes the final answer. Barrett’s work on constructed emotion and granularity…

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