Was heißt emotion? Was heißt emotion? A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and love. A state of mental agitation or disturbance: spoke unsteadily in a voice that betrayed his emotion. See Synonyms at feeling.The part of the consciousness that involves feeling; sensibility: "The very essence of literature is the war between emotion and intellect” ( Isaac Bashevis Singer).