Emotions are central to how people experience and engage with politics. Far from being irrational disturbances, they shape decisions, identities, and collective behaviour. To better understand these dynamics, the psychologist Robert Plutchik developed the “Wheel of Emotions,” a model that illustrates how emotions are structured and interconnected.

The Wheel identifies eight primary emotions: joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, and anticipation. These emotions can blend to create more complex states—such as love (joy + trust) or awe (fear + surprise). Each emotion also varies in intensity, ranging from mild forms (serenity, annoyance) to extreme expressions (ecstasy, rage). This makes the model especially useful for analysing how emotions develop and escalate in political contexts.

For democratic politics, the Wheel of Emotions provides an essential classification. Negative emotions such as fear or anger are often mobilised in populist rhetoric, creating division and urgency. At the same time, positive emotions such as joy, trust, and anticipation can inspire belonging, cooperation, and civic engagement. Emotions like sadness or disgust also play a constructive role by motivating citizens to demand accountability in the face of injustice.

Within the ENCODE project, the Wheel of Emotions helps researchers explore how different emotional repertoires are activated in political discourse, media communication, and citizen engagement. It also guides efforts to identify strategies that foster more constructive emotional dynamics, strengthening democratic dialogue and resilience against polarisation and disinformation.

By acknowledging emotions as structured, meaningful, and politically consequential, the Wheel of Emotions shifts the focus from seeing them as obstacles to recognising them as integral to democracy. This perspective opens up new opportunities for policy and practice aimed at cultivating more inclusive, participatory, and emotionally responsive forms of governance.