Goosebumps, tears, and a profound sense of solidarity—there’s a term for that experience. Its manifestations, from Swifties exchanging friendship bracelets to the stirring responses elicited by political messaging, can lead to both positive and negative outcomes.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with psychological anthropologist Alan Fiske, and during our conversation, he shared a touching anecdote about a lost kitten. “If you saw it outside, you would go pick it up to prevent it from being run over by a truck, make sure it’s safe, and check if it’s hungry,” he explained. “Your heart goes out to it.” Despite not being an avid cat lover or particularly emotional, I felt a wave of chills and a tightening in my chest as he spoke.

What I was experiencing is known as kama muta—an emotion that has largely gone under the radar but has been the focus of Fiske’s work for over a decade. Fiske and his colleagues believe kama muta evolved to connect individuals and strengthen relationships. “It motivates you to embrace and care for others,” adds Jon Zabala, a researcher at the University of the Basque Country.

According to Fiske, kama muta enhances our commitment to relationships and inspires us to act with greater compassion and kindness. We often feel it during significant life events—births, weddings, and funerals—and it’s commonly harnessed by storytellers, marketers, and even politicians to elevate emotional engagement. While some may dismiss kama muta as overly sentimental, emerging research indicates it can be a powerful political tool.

Fiske’s fascination with kama muta blossomed over ten years ago during a working vacation in Norway with fellow psychologists Thomas Schubert and Beate Seibt. A discussion about why specific children’s films and superhero movies brought them to tears led them to suspect that this involuntary reaction stemmed from an overlooked emotion. “All psychologists assumed that crying meant sadness,” Fiske noted, yet the tears Schubert referred to arose during uplifting narrative moments.

The research team set out to gather information about people’s experiences with this emotion through interviews, experiments, and observations. They also sought a term that encapsulated their findings. After much deliberation, they landed on the Sanskrit term kama muta, meaning “moved by love.”

Their findings revealed essential characteristics that would officially define kama muta as a distinct emotion. They concluded that it is a brief and often positive feeling, coupled with physical sensations such as warmth in the chest, goosebumps, chills down the neck, and tears. It usually arises during impactful moments of shared experience—whether with friends, family, or community members.

The triggers for kama muta can vary widely. “A classic example is reuniting with an old friend after years apart,” Zickfeld explains, but it could also stem from seemingly small gestures, like a neighbor bringing you soup while you’re unwell, or emotional scenes at commemorations honoring military sacrifices.

Notably, kama muta reinforces our connections and fosters acts of kindness. “It helps you appreciate the relationships you have,” Fiske says, highlighting that although the feeling may only last a minute, the motivation from it can linger. This emotional resonance may explain why concertgoers feel compelled to hug strangers or why fans exchange friendship bracelets.

Fiske has found that most people recognize kama muta, even if they’ve never heard the term before. “It’s been enlightening to see that people have emotions they didn’t know existed,” he reflects. “I’ve never spoken about this without an audience saying they could relate.”

By 2018, Fiske and his colleagues had conducted an extensive survey of kama muta across 19 countries, including the U.S., UK, Germany, Portugal, India, China, and Japan. Participants recounted personal moments that triggered “positive tears” or viewed videos that depicted relationship intensification, responding to questionnaires afterward. The results confirmed that they indeed identified feelings representative of kama muta, separating it from more commonly understood emotions.

The universality of kama muta should come as no surprise, as caring relationships are fundamental to human experience. Individuals who reported feeling kama muta were more inclined to express thoughts like wanting to share their affection or do something kind for someone.

Further research by Zickfeld indicated that participants’ skin temperature around the chest rose after experiencing kama muta, hinting at its heartwarming effects. Interestingly, heart and breathing rates tended to drop post-experience, suggesting that it may offer a form of solace. “It’s like a momentary spike in arousal followed by a return to calm,” explains Zickfeld.

Fiske believes storytelling has long played a role in evoking kama muta, tying it to classic narratives, such as Odysseus’s emotional homecoming. Modern films, like the reunion scene in Wall-E, are also rich in kama muta. Viral videos, particularly those featuring adorable animals, tap into this emotion; a study found that kitten cuteness correlates with intensified feelings of kama muta.

Mental health practitioners are beginning to appreciate kama muta’s healing potential. Krystina Alessandrini, a lecturer at the Integrative Institute of Counselling and Psychotherapy in Dublin, notes that small gestures can significantly impact therapy outcomes. “Clients feel moved by moments of connection, and these can greatly aid their healing,” she explains.

Researchers are also examining how specific rituals can invoke kama muta on a communal scale. Zabala’s recent study of the Korrika festival illustrated how shared experiences during the event fostered feelings of collective identity among participants.

Politicians may leverage kama muta for their gain; studies found that political ads during the 2016 presidential election evoked this emotion in supporters. Surprisingly, videos that combined elements of kama muta with patriotism proved most effective in bridging political divides. One study highlighted that invoking kama muta improved Republicans’ perceptions of Democrats and vice versa, even when the video content wasn’t explicitly political.

More than a decade after his initial exploration of kama muta, Fiske now considers himself a “connoisseur” of this emotion’s many facets. “I consciously seek out these moments and appreciate them when they arise,” he shares. “Discovering this emotion allows you to recognize your capacity for love—and the love others have for you.”