• Talking about feelings directly is an unfamiliar and unknown field

• It is strange to have someone ask such personal questions

• People are not used to thinking about how much they feel something, in other words to what intensity

• They are especially not used to putting a number on their feelings

• Putting a specific number on their feelings may be even more frightening than giving a relatively honest, but vague answer when asked how they feel about something

• Something like this has never been taught to them

• They are embarrassed or ashamed, afraid, to talk about feelings

• It makes one feel too vulnerable

• Just the question frightens them because it is so personal

• They are afraid of exposing themselves, of being "naked"

• They don't know if they should be honest or what the consequences might be if they are honest

• They are afraid to hurt someone with their answers

• We are taught that feelings are bad or weak or are too personal to talk about to others

• They are afraid to ask how someone else feels because they might hear something they don't want to hear

• They are especially afraid to ask how much someone feels something from 0-10 because they are afraid to hear a number which they won't want to hear

• It takes a lot of energy to think about such things when one is unfamiliar, uncomfortable, afraid

• The definitions of the words can vary from one person to another

• The definitions of the feeling words and the ways feelings are expressed can vary from one culture to another

See Related Stories: Respect and Culture, Everyone Was Unhappy

Note: Thank you to Stephanie Kohler for coming up with the original list.