Getting Emotional

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 is today. Sheraz Ali, an Urdu teacher at Manchester University, answers some of my questions about where it's come from. (I didn't have time to include all the beautiful Urdu poetry he read to me, but I'm so grateful he helped me understand the wider context of this word.)

Then we chat to writer and broadcaster Danny Wallace, who lets me take a deep-dive into his world of storytelling. How does he create a sense of goya for his readers? Is it easier to provide it in books rather than any other media? What work inspired him? He very kindly gives some in-depth answers that reveal his own formula for story success. Well, it's an emotion about writing, so it makes sense to talk to an actual author, right?

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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 mind, an emotion, a branch of love, or something deeper and darker? To help me in my research I talk to Dr L, a blogger and neuroscientist, all about this phenomenon. He gives his diagnosis on what the feeling truly is, and also suggests some ways you can break the limerence spell if it's a feeling that's taking over your life too.

To check out Dr L's blog, head here- https://livingwithlimerence.com/

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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 might identify with this emotion. Stevie is a phenomenal comedian (check her sketches on twitter at @5tevieM) and Gina is an incredible activist (you can follow her work on twitter at @GinaMartinUK). I knew they'd always looked out for each other, and had been supportive of each other's successes, but I wondered whether it went deeper than that. Luckily, they were very willing to open up and explore their feelings for one another (and how it maybe hadn't always been so easy to find that wholesome joy..!)

Obviously the podcast is all about discovering the emotion and the journey it's taken my guests on, but I'm aware there's loads more to learn about the feeling of mudita and the Buddhist teachings- I just didn't have time to fit it all in! If you're interested in a little more of the history and theology, some websites I found helpful were:

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/various/wheel170.html

https://www.learnreligions.com/mudita-sympathetic-joy-449704

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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 theatre industry, helps us to delve into the emotion and why it means so much to people in her country. She also gives her own experience of the emotion, from another part of her culture- delicate Japanese fireworks. Maybe Mono no Aware extends past the cherry blossom trees, and into everyday life? Let's find out...

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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 to find out more.

Oh, and speaking of pictures, big thanks to Matt Hancock for our artwork design- check him out here- https://matthew-hancock.co.uk/. He definitely did not, he'll be glad to hear, inspire vemödalen.

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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.