Traditional Chinese Medicine on Emotions and Disease

In daily life, people experience various emotional responses to external stimuli. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), these emotions are referred to as the “Seven Emotions,” which include joy, anger, worry, contemplation, grief, fear, and shock. The Essential Questions: The Great Treatise on Yin-Yang Theory states, “Humans have five organs that transform into five energies, which produce joy, anger, sadness, worry, and fear. Anger harms the liver, joy harms the heart, contemplation harms the spleen, grief harms the lungs, and fear harms the kidneys. Excessive joy or anger harms qi; sudden anger harms yin; sudden joy harms yang.”

Under normal circumstances, these emotions align with specific organs: joy to the heart, anger to the liver, contemplation to the spleen, grief to the lungs, and fear to the kidneys. Each emotion corresponds to a particular organ function, with the five main emotions representing the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, respectively. When felt appropriately, these emotions maintain harmony within the body and mind. However, when emotions become intense, sudden, or persist for extended periods, they can disrupt the balance of the body's internal energy, leading to illness.

Distinct Characteristics of Emotional Pathology

1. The Connection Between Emotions and Mental StimulationEmotional imbalances are closely related to mental stimuli. Diseases induced by emotions are affected by mental stress, and symptoms often change with mood. For example, mental disorders often stem from deep-seated sadness, frustration, or anger, which damage the liver and gallbladder, leading to inner distress that manifests as “internal fire.” This fire consumes bodily fluids, producing phlegm-fire that disturbs the mind and causes erratic behavior. Thus, mental factors play a significant role in the onset and progression of certain diseases.

2. Direct Damage to Organs from Intense EmotionsExtreme emotions can disrupt the physiological activities of organs, leading to pathological changes. Different emotions impact specific organs. For instance, excessive joy injures the heart, leading to scattered thoughts, mental distraction, or abnormal behavior. Overthinking harms the spleen, impairing its digestive function, which can result in loss of appetite, bloating, or indigestion.

3. Effects of Emotions on Organ Qi FlowEmotions influence the flow of qi within the organs, causing disruptions that can lead to various symptoms:

• “Joy Slows Qi”
  Joy generally relaxes tension, promoting smooth qi and a peaceful, cheerful mood. However, excessive joy can scatter heart qi, leading to fatigue, inattentiveness, lethargy, and even palpitations or disorientation.

• “Anger Causes Qi to Rise”
  Anger is associated with the liver. Although temporary anger typically doesn’t cause illness, prolonged or intense anger disrupts liver qi, causing it to rise. This condition, known as liver qi rebellion, can lead to headaches, dizziness, flushed face, ringing in the ears, vomiting blood, hiccups, and even fainting.

• “Contemplation Constrains Qi”
  Excessive thinking can trap spleen qi in the central burner, hindering digestion. This causes symptoms like poor appetite, bloating, abdominal fullness, loose stools, and muscle wasting. Overthinking also weakens the heart blood, which fails to nourish the mind, causing palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia, and vivid dreams.

• “Grief Depletes Qi”
  Intense sadness drains lung qi, causing depression, fatigue, chest tightness, shortness of breath, lethargy, and weakened spirit. Grief can also affect the spleen, obstructing qi flow in the three burners, leading to weak limbs and abdominal bloating.

• “Fear Drives Qi Downward”
  Unexpected shock or prolonged fear can harm kidney qi, hence the saying, “Fear injures the kidneys.” Excessive fear destabilizes kidney qi, causing bone weakness, urinary or fecal incontinence, and nocturnal emissions.

• “Shock Disrupts Qi”
  Shock causes heart qi to become chaotic. Since the heart governs blood and stores the spirit, sudden fright disturbs heart qi, causing qi and blood to fall out of balance. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, palpitations, insomnia, irritability, and, in extreme cases, mental disturbance.

Excessive Emotions and Their Harmful Effects on Health

Excessive Joy Harms the Heart
It's often said, “When people experience joy, they feel revitalized.” Happiness can indeed invigorate the spirit, allowing qi and blood to flow smoothly, relaxing the muscles, and helping the body recover from fatigue. Moderate joy promotes circulation, boosts mental clarity, and enhances the body's physiological functions. However, excessive joy can slow down heart qi, leading to dissipation of spirit, which weakens the heart over time. This may result in insomnia, palpitations, memory issues, fatigue, shortness of breath, and reluctance to speak.

Excessive Anger Harms the Liver
Anger can serve as an outlet, relieving psychological pressure, but repressing anger or being unable to express it can be harmful. Long-term or extreme anger also damages health. For instance, some women experience irritability during their menstrual cycle due to the liver's close connection with blood flow. During this time, “blood flows downward while qi floats upward,” causing an imbalance and an excess of liver fire.

Women may need extra care and understanding during this period, and self-care to moderate emotions is essential to avoid liver damage. Prolonged irritability or suppressed anger may lead to blood stasis, yin deficiency, and damp-heat patterns. Those prone to anger often experience dry skin, early wrinkles, or symptoms like painful menstruation with dark, clotted blood. Repressed emotions, in contrast, may lead to a qi-stagnant constitution, manifesting in palpitations, chest tightness, wandering pain, or a sensation of something stuck in the throat.

Excessive Worry (Grief) Harms the Lungs
Worry is an emotional response to situations that don't go as planned, while grief is a deeper form of worry, including depression, frustration, and loss of motivation. Excessive worry or grief can injure the lungs, leading to fatigue, shortness of breath, coughing, chills, and frequent colds, which may eventually result in a qi-stagnant or qi-deficient constitution. In Dream of the Red Chamber, the character Lin Daiyu embodies this type of pathology. Her introverted, melancholic nature leaves her constantly burdened by worries, and her unexpressed sorrows lead to self-isolation. When she learns of her beloved's engagement, her sorrow becomes so overwhelming that she succumbs to illness.

While sadness can purify the soul, excessive grief can damage health. One should neither avoid sadness nor dwell in it indefinitely. It's important to find strength in adversity and to regain a positive outlook on life.

Excessive Thinking Harms the Spleen
Contemplation is natural, but excessive thinking can affect health, as seen in cases of prolonged separation, unrequited love, or mental overexertion in study or work. Overthinking can harm the spleen, leading to symptoms like poor appetite, bloating, dizziness, and fatigue, eventually causing a qi-deficient constitution. Thinking is a double-edged sword; as Confucius said, “Learning without thought is labor lost.” Regular reflection is beneficial, but excessive contemplation can lead to poor constitution and weaken health.

Excessive Fear (Shock) Harms the Kidneys
Fear arises from intense nervousness, while shock is a sudden, unexpected response to change, such as unexpected danger or loud noises. A healthy level of thrill can build courage, but excessive fear or sudden shock can damage health. For instance, in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Fei's roar on the Dangyang Bridge shocks the opposing general, leading to his sudden death.

In daily life, intense situations may cause some people to feel the urgent need to use the restroom, a result of “fear-induced kidney leakage.” Prolonged or sudden fear weakens kidney qi, sometimes resulting in urinary incontinence or accidents, especially in the elderly. Those with a particular constitutional sensitivity, such as allergies, may experience fear-related symptoms more readily.

In essence, the body is a complex, interconnected system, and moderate emotional responses are beneficial for physical and mental health. However, emotional imbalance can disrupt yin-yang harmony, leading to a constitution susceptible to illness. In response to external stimuli, it is vital to practice “moderate response” to maintain balance.