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Dr. Ni Haixia Discusses the Characteristics of Disease Caused by the Seven Emotions

“Seven Emotions” refers to the seven normal emotional activities: joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock, which are responses of human consciousness to external stimuli. The Seven Emotions are closely related to the functional activities of the body’s organs. They are associated with the five organs, represented by joy, anger, thought, sadness, and fear, commonly referred to as the Five Emotions (五志, wǔ zhì).

The Seven Emotions are different reflections of human responses to objective phenomena. Within a normal range of activity, they generally do not cause illness. Only sudden, intense, or prolonged emotional stimuli that exceed the body’s normal physiological activity range can disrupt the flow of Qi (气, qì) and cause imbalances in the Yin and Yang of the organs, leading to disease. Therefore, as a cause of disease, the Seven Emotions refer to excessively intense, prolonged, or sudden emotional changes that lead to imbalances in the organs’ Qi and blood, resulting in disease.

Illness caused by the Seven Emotions is termed emotional stagnation (因郁致病, yīn yù zhì bìng). Additionally, due to certain chronic diseases, long-term dysfunction of the internal organs can lead to abnormal emotional states, referred to as disease-induced stagnation (因病致郁, yīn bìng zhì yù). The Seven Emotions are also related to the body’s tolerance and regulatory capacity.

The pathogenesis of the Seven Emotions differs from the Six Excesses (六淫, liù yín), which are external pathogenic factors (wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire) that invade the body through the mouth, nose, or skin. In contrast, the Seven Emotions directly affect the relevant organs and cause disease. The Seven Emotions can not only trigger the onset of various diseases but also significantly influence the progression of diseases, promoting either improvement or deterioration. As one of the main pathogenic factors causing internal injuries, they are also referred to as “internal injury from the Seven Emotions.”

1

The Relationship Between the Seven Emotions and the Organs’ Qi and Blood

1. The relationship between the Seven Emotions and the organs: The emotional activities of the human body are closely related to the organs, and the basic principle is: the heart governs joy; excessive joy harms the heart; the liver governs anger; excessive anger harms the liver; the spleen governs thought; excessive thought harms the spleen; the lungs govern sadness and worry; excessive sadness and worry harm the lungs; the kidneys govern shock and fear; excessive shock and fear harm the kidneys. This indicates that organ dysfunction can lead to corresponding emotional responses, and excessive emotional responses can damage the related organs (mutual dialectics). The theory that the Seven Emotions arise from and harm the Five Organs has significant guiding implications in diagnosis and treatment.

2. The relationship between the Seven Emotions and Qi and blood: Qi and blood are the two fundamental substances that constitute the body and maintain life activities. Qi has a warming and promoting effect on the organs, while blood nourishes the organs. Qi and blood are the material basis for emotional activities, and changes in the organs’ Qi and blood can also affect emotional changes. Hence, it is said: “When blood is abundant, there is anger; when it is deficient, there is fear.” The physiological activities of the organs must be based on Qi and blood, while emotional activities are manifestations of the physiological functions of the organs. Therefore, the emotional activities of the human body are closely related to the Qi and blood of the organs.

2

Characteristics of Disease Caused by the Seven Emotions

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) studies the laws of human life, not just patients and diseases, which is quite different from Western medicine. TCM often places humans within two circles; the first circle is the natural circle. The Huangdi Neijing states, “When faced with external evils, avoid them at the right time.” For example, in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, TCM often emphasizes that when wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire are excessive or untimely, it is termed “Six Excesses” or “Six Evils.” When humans cannot coordinate with the natural world, diseases arise; this is the first cause of disease.

The second circle is society. What does this circle discuss? It discusses the relationship between human joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock and human life and health. TCM has a saying in health preservation: “Calmness and emptiness lead to true Qi.” This means that when your mood is in a very calm state, your Qi and blood will run normally. This normal flow is a vital function for maintaining life activities. Conversely, when your emotions undergo abnormal changes, they can disrupt the flow of Qi and blood, leading to disease.

3

The Liver Governs Anger; Poor Liver Function Leads to Irritability

Many women are particularly prone to anger, especially around their menstrual periods. Why? Because women are primarily governed by blood and the liver is their innate organ. When menstruation approaches, blood flows downward while Qi rises, leading to an imbalance between Qi and blood. When Qi is excessive, it becomes fire, causing irritability. Therefore, women should pay attention to regulating their emotions during their menstrual periods, avoiding excessive anger and depression. Both excessive anger and depression are not in line with normal physiological states, and over time, they can lead to disease.

In the clinic, I often tell women, if you argue with your husband, make sure to tell him to leave after making you cry, not to leave halfway through the argument. If he leaves halfway, he will come back and continue the argument. Why? Because the liver governs anger; when you are angry, and you argue, your liver Qi becomes very strong. If he leaves at that moment, your anger becomes stagnant, unable to be released. If it remains stagnant for too long, it will transform into heat, and when he returns, the argument will continue. If you cry, what happens? Crying is related to the lungs; when you cry, the lung Qi becomes vigorous, which calms the liver Qi. In TCM, the lungs and liver correspond to the elements of metal and wood, which have a mutual restraining relationship. When lung Qi becomes vigorous, liver Qi calms down. You can try this: when you feel particularly depressed, find a place where no one is around and cry it out; afterward, you will feel much better.

We also see many patients with liver diseases who are particularly irritable. Why? Because the liver governs anger, the liver meridian inherently has heat, so they easily become angry. Therefore, when you feel particularly troubled and irritable for no reason, you should seek TCM help to adjust your liver. This is not the same as what Western medicine refers to as liver disease or hepatitis; rather, it is your emotional state that is problematic. This requires an adjustment process. Many diseases transition from quantitative changes to qualitative changes; when the changes are quantitative, they may not be detected. You may go to a Western doctor who says you are fine. For example, some people feel particularly uncomfortable after getting angry, experiencing headaches and pressure in the head. When they go to the hospital, the Western doctor says you are fine, and all your indicators are normal. But you still feel uncomfortable. If you take some herbs to calm the liver and regulate the Qi, it will help.

4

The Heart Governs Joy; Excessive Joy Can Scatter Qi

The heart governs joy; we all know that joy is happiness. We say the heart blooms with joy, not the liver. We also see many elderly patients with heart problems; why do they often pass away after a joyful reunion with their children? Because excessive joy can scatter Qi, and when one is overly happy, their heart Qi is depleted. So, while joy is a good thing, excessive joy may not be beneficial.

5

The Spleen Governs Thought; Excessive Worry Harms the Spleen and Stomach

The spleen governs thought; “thought” refers to excessive worry. People who worry excessively will have problems with their spleen and stomach. Those who use their brains frequently tend to have poor spleen and stomach function. Why? Because we all know that we need to eat every day, and after eating, Qi and blood flow to the stomach to aid digestion. If your blood does not flow to the stomach but instead stays in the brain for a long time, the spleen and stomach function will be affected over time.

For example, many long-distance drivers suffer from stomach issues. Why? Because their occupational habits cause blood to flow to the brain as soon as they sit in the driver’s seat. Over time, their blood flows upward, while the food they eat does not get digested properly. Eventually, this leads to diseases such as gastric ulcers and gastric prolapse. Therefore, TCM states that the relationship between thought and the spleen and stomach is that excessive worry harms the spleen; this is the principle.

6

The Lungs Govern Sadness; Excessive Sadness Harms the Lungs

The lungs govern sadness; everyone has seen Dream of the Red Chamber, and you can see that Lin Daiyu must have lung issues; otherwise, she wouldn’t cry endlessly. Frequent crying and tearing are certainly related to the lungs. Recently, I treated an elderly gentleman with lung cancer who said, “Doctor, I don’t know why, but I feel like crying every time I see you.” I said, “This is because you have a problem with your lungs, as the lungs are directly related to the emotion of sadness.”

7

The Kidneys Govern Fear; Fear Can Scatter Kidney Qi

The kidneys govern fear, and fear is directly related to the kidneys. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Zhang Fei shouted on Changban Bridge, he scared a person next to Cao Cao to death; I think that person must have had kidney Qi deficiency. When one is overly frightened, their kidney Qi scatters. The kidneys control urination; when a person is excessively fearful, their kidney function weakens, leading to incontinence.

【Summary】 Therefore, TCM states that the changes in emotions such as joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock are closely related to the Five Organs. In fact, when we look at historical novels, such characters are everywhere. For example, why did Wang Xifeng fall ill? “Cunning schemes backfired, leading to her demise.” She was always calculating against others, and in the end, heaven calculated against her. Lin Daiyu cried every day, and her tuberculosis developed from her constant weeping. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu was so young but died because of jealousy and imbalance in his mindset, always feeling that Zhuge Liang was smarter than him. It is better to say that Zhuge Liang caused his death than to say he caused his own demise.