Evidence & sources

Well-supported

Backed by replicated randomized controlled trials, or a large, consistent body of research, cited by name (e.g. Balban et al., 2023 for the physiological sigh; Jacobson et al., 1996 for behavioral activation). This is the strongest tier we use — it does not mean "guaranteed to work for you," only that controlled research consistently finds an effect.

Promising

Smaller studies, mechanistic evidence, a single well-designed trial not yet replicated, or research from an adjacent but related question. Worth trying, held a little more loosely than the well-supported tier — we say so explicitly wherever a claim rests on one surprising trial (the SMILES dietary trial for depression is a good example).

Anecdotal

Clinical or traditional report only, with no controlled studies behind it. We still include a small number of anecdotal practices where they're widely used and low-risk (nasal breathing as a stress habit; certain spiritual or contemplative framings), but we say plainly that the evidence isn't there yet, rather than dressing up a report as a finding.

The primary dataset

• Source: Nummenmaa, L., Glerean, E., Hari, R., & Hietanen, J. K. (2014). Bodily maps of emotions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(2), 646–651.
• Method: over 700 participants across five experiments were shown emotion-inducing words, stories, films, and facial expressions, then asked to color in a body silhouette showing where they felt increased or decreased activation. The resulting maps were statistically consistent across cultures and experiment types.
• What's labelled “measured” on this site: the core emotions this study covered directly — anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise, and several secondary and positive states it extended to in follow-up work.
• What's labelled “approximated”: states this specific study didn't measure directly (compassion is the clearest example) — for these, the map is our informed approximation from adjacent research (compassion-focused therapy neuroimaging, self-compassion studies), and we say so on the page.

A heuristic, not a measurement

Several pages offer an optional toggle showing where a feeling calibrates on David Hawkins' Map of Consciousness. We're explicit every time it appears: this is a spiritual/philosophical ordering, not empirical science, it never orders anything by default, and it's included because some readers find it a useful map to think with — not because it's been validated the way the body-map data has.

What this is

• Psychoeducation — explaining mechanisms, offering evidence-tagged practices, and pointing toward when professional care is the right next step.
• A companion to the book Lemonade by Irynka Kis, and to a growing set of interactive self-reflection tools.

What this isn't

• Diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. No page on this site forms a therapist-client or doctor-patient relationship.
• A substitute for a professional when you need one — every guide on this site says so, and our when-not-to-use-this page says it in full.
• Personalized medical advice. Quiz and tool results are, in the quiz's own words, “a gentle mirror, not a diagnosis or therapy.”