feeling
In everyday language, the term is used synonymously with emotion. In a narrower sense, however, feeling refers to the subjective aspect of an emotion. Emotions serve a function of motivating action. Certain physiological changes (e.g., increased heart rate, hormone release, regulation of the digestive system) provide the energy needed to respond quickly and appropriately to the emotion-triggering object. The experience of these physiological changes (e.g., butterflies in the stomach, a particularly strong and rapid heartbeat), as well as the experiential component (“I am in love,” etc.), is referred to as a feeling.