In life, everyone experiences the seven emotions and six desires, which accompany a person throughout their life. The body is often subtly influenced by emotions; with careful observation, one can see numerous instances where emotions affect health. For example, when a person is nervous, some may experience sweaty palms, others may frequently need to use the restroom, and some may suffer from headaches. When burdened with worries, a person may lose their appetite. Physicians advise patients with hypertension to avoid anger and excitement, as it can easily lead to “bursting blood vessels” and other complications.
Importantly, emotions can leave both positive and negative traces on the five internal organs through the endocrine system. Positive traces promote health and delay aging, while negative traces accelerate aging and harm health.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that there are both internal and external factors that lead to illness. External factors are the six excesses (liù yín) (wind, cold, dampness, dryness, heat, and summer heat), which are significant external causes of disease, referred to as external pathogens. Internal factors are the seven emotions (qī qíng) (joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock), which are significant internal causes of disease, referred to as emotional factors. The impact of emotional factors on health is considered more significant than that of the six excesses.
The relationship between emotions and the internal organs is described as “the seven emotions arise from the five organs and can harm the five organs.” The physiological activities of the internal organs must rely on qi and blood as their material basis, while mental activities are expressed through the physiological functions of the internal organs. Therefore, emotional activities are closely related to the qi and blood of the body’s internal organs.
Thus, it is said: “When blood is abundant, there is anger; when blood is insufficient, there is fear.” Under normal circumstances, the seven emotions do not lead to pathological changes, but if emotions are excessive, they can cause imbalances in yin and yang, disrupt qi and blood, and harm the five organs, leading to disease. As stated in the “Nourishing Life and Extending Life Record,” “Spring anger is unpredictable; excessive anger is harmful”; and in the “Three Causes and One Disease Theory,” it is said, “Emotions are the source of all diseases in the human body.”
The six excesses invade the body through the mouth, nose, or skin, referred to as external invasion, which can initially present with exterior symptoms. If properly prevented, they will not harm the internal organs. In contrast, changes in the seven emotions affect the circulation of qi and blood, referred to as internal injury, which can cause meridian blockages, qi and blood stagnation, and insufficient righteous qi, leading to imbalances in the internal organs’ yin, yang, qi, and blood, resulting in disease until the internal organs are harmed.
Therefore, the seven emotions play a crucial role in triggering diseases, promoting recovery, and exacerbating conditions, even leading to death. The work “Three Causes and One Disease Theory” by Chen Wuze from the Song Dynasty marks the maturation of the theory of the seven emotions. The “Three Causes and One Disease Theory – Discussion on the Seven Emotions” states: “Joy harms the heart, anger harms the liver, worry harms the lungs, thought harms the spleen, sadness harms the heart protector, shock harms the gallbladder, and fear harms the kidneys.”
Joy Harms the Heart
In spring, joy can harm the heart. Moderate joy and laughter can help to smooth the flow of qi and blood, alleviate mental tension, and promote health. The heart houses the spirit; excessive joy and laughter can disperse qi and harm the heart. Therefore, extreme joy can easily harm the heart, leading to confusion of thought and mental disturbances, which can trigger hypertension and heart disease. A classic example is Fan Jin, who became mad due to excessive joy after passing the imperial examination, leading to a depletion of his spirit. This is a typical case of joy harming the heart.
Anger Harms the Liver
Anger harms the liver. Anger causes qi to rise, and excessive anger can lead to the upward reversal of liver qi, depleting the liver’s yin and blood, which can result in symptoms such as vomiting blood, fainting, sudden blindness, or even death. For instance, hypertension caused by anger can lead to a stroke. People with bad tempers often have liver qi stagnation. The “Medical Records of the Occasional Physician” states: “When anger is released, the liver blood is greatly harmed; when anger is repressed, the liver blood is also adversely affected. Anger is the thief of blood.” In the “Legend of Yue Fei,” there is a story where Niu Gao captured Jin Wuzhu, and while riding on his back, he laughed excessively, which depleted his heart qi, resulting in his death. Jin Wuzhu, filled with hatred and anger, also died from anger. This is a classic example of extreme emotional activity leading to death.
Worry Harms the Lungs
Worry harms the lungs. Worry can cause lung qi stagnation, leading to symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and a weak voice. In “Dream of the Red Chamber,” Lin Daiyu is a typical example of someone who is overly sentimental; she becomes melancholic upon seeing the moon wane and flowers wither, often crying and damaging her lung qi, ultimately leading to her premature death from pulmonary tuberculosis. Modern medicine has confirmed that depression is comorbid with breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Thought Harms the Spleen
Thought harms the spleen. The “Medical Treatise, Volume Seven” states: “Excessive thinking leads to qi stagnation, which harms the spleen.” Overthinking can exhaust the spleen’s ability to transport and transform, leading to qi stagnation and harming the spirit and spleen. Symptoms may include fatigue, poor appetite, abdominal distension, loose stools, palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness, and vivid dreams.
Sadness Harms the Heart Protector
The “Medical Principles of Labor Injury” states: “Excessive sadness causes qi to rebel, leading to stagnation that harms the lungs.” Excessive sorrow, heavy-heartedness, and gloom can dissipate lung qi, leading to symptoms such as excessive weeping, sighing, pale complexion, fatigue, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
Fear Harms the Kidneys
Fear harms the kidneys, causing qi to become timid. The “Suwen, Discussion on Pain” states: “Fear causes essence to retreat.” The kidneys store essence; excessive fear can deplete kidney essence, causing blood to descend, leading to symptoms such as pale complexion, dizziness, unstable kidney qi, nocturnal emissions, rectal prolapse, and even causing paralysis, incontinence, and tremors.
Shock Harms the Heart and Gallbladder
Shock harms the heart and gallbladder. The “Three Causes and One Disease Theory, Volume Seven” states: “Shock harms the gallbladder, causing the spirit to have no place to return, leading to unsettled thoughts and incomplete speech, hence the classic text states: shock causes qi to become chaotic.” The “Jisheng Fang, Discussion on Palpitations and Forgetfulness” states: “Palpitations are caused by a deficiency of the heart and a timid gallbladder.” Sudden fright can disrupt heart qi, leading to symptoms such as palpitations, confusion, anxiety, blank stares, insomnia, and mental disturbances, with severe cases even leading to death from shock.
Although emotional factors can selectively damage the internal organs, it is incorrect to mechanically assume that anger only harms the liver, joy only harms the heart, and so on. The human body is an organic whole, and emotional activities are complex and variable. Sometimes, excessive expression of one emotion can harm multiple organs, and sometimes multiple emotions can simultaneously harm one organ. The seven emotions often primarily affect the heart, liver, and spleen, with a greater impact on the heart.
Thus, the “Lingshu, Question on the Mouth” states: “The heart is the master of the five organs and six bowels… Therefore, sadness, sorrow, and worry can move the heart; when the heart moves, all the five organs and six bowels are shaken.” This indicates that various emotional stimuli are related to the heart, and damage to the heart spirit can also affect other organs. For example, liver stagnation from anger can also affect the spleen and stomach, leading to disharmony between the liver and spleen, and disharmony between the liver and stomach. Liver stagnation can transform into fire, which can also lead to liver fire attacking the lungs.
Emotions fluctuate most when righteous qi (yang qi) is insufficient and evil qi is rising. Those with sufficient righteous qi are optimistic and open-minded; those with insufficient righteous qi are pessimistic and despairing. Therefore, by uplifting righteous qi, a person’s mental state can greatly improve, and diseases caused by the seven emotions will stay away from us. The insufficiency of righteous qi primarily stems from various pressures related to physical health, diet, lifestyle habits, interpersonal relationships, and emotions.
Numerous facts have proven that managing emotions well, reducing anger and frustration, can enhance yang qi (righteous qi), leading to fewer illnesses. This entirely depends on how one manages their daily life; a good mental state is something one must create for themselves.
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