About this guide

Who writes it

This guide is written by the publisher of Emotion Wheel, an iPhone app that helps you put a word on what you feel. The publisher is not a psychologist or a therapist. The company is introduced on the Publisher page of emotion-wheel.com.

The guide promotes the app, and says so: at the top of every page, and wherever the app appears. When the guide talks about what the app does, it's always in a dark block or behind a dark “In the app” label, so you know whether you're reading research or advertising.

Why this guide

Putting a word on what you feel can help, and several ways of getting there have been studied: through the body, through two simple questions, through words, through what happened, through what you feel like doing, by observing, by writing. Many pages repeat the same tips without saying where they come from or what they're worth. This guide gives each way the studies behind it, with what they show and what they don't.

It's meant to be useful even if you never install the app.

How the sources are chosen

• We start from studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and from the books or articles where a model was first described. When a review or a meta-analysis exists, it comes first.
• Every study is read at its source before it's cited: at least the publisher's summary, and the full text when it's available. Each one is linked right under the sentence that sums it up.
• We report what a study observed, not what it could mean for your health. We write “studies suggest”, never “it's proven”.
• We say the limits: few studies, links rather than causes, results that disagree.
• We name a model to credit its authors. We don't reproduce their figures, word lists or worksheets.

Who reviews it

Reviewed by: to come. We're looking for a mental health professional (a psychologist, psychotherapist or social worker) to review the guide. If they agree, their name and title will appear here and on every page they've reviewed.

A mistake?

If a sentence misrepresents a study, a link no longer works, or a word sounds wrong, write to us at soutien@emotion-wheel.com. We correct the page and change its update date.

What this guide is not

It doesn't diagnose anything and offers no test. It helps you put a word on what you feel; it doesn't replace a professional.