Have you ever felt velvetmist? It’s a complex and subtle emotion that elicits feelings of comfort, serenity, and a gentle sense of floating. Peaceful, yet more ephemeral and intangible than contentment. Perhaps evoked by the sight of a sunset, or a moody, low-key album. If you haven't ever felt this sensation – or even heard of it – that's not surprising. Velvetmist isn't exactly a household word.

The term was generated by a Reddit user named noahjeadie, using ChatGPT, along with advice on how to evoke the feeling. With the right essential oils and soundtrack, apparently, you too can feel like a soft, fuzzy, draping ghost floating through a lavender suburb.

Don't scoff. While velvetmist might sound like a whimsical creation, it's indicative of a larger trend. Researchers say more and more terms for these "neo-emotions" are showing up online, describing new dimensions and aspects of feeling. Velvetmist was even a key example in a journal article about the phenomenon published in July 2025.

But most neo-emotions aren't the inventions of emo artificial intelligences. Humans come up with them, and they're part of a big change in the way researchers are thinking about feelings, one that emphasizes how people continuously spin out new ones in response to a changing world. Velvetmist might've been a chatbot one-off, but it's not unique. The sociological implications of this emotional expansion are profound, suggesting a fundamental shift in how we understand ourselves and our relationship to the world.

The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has undoubtedly accelerated the creation and dissemination of these new emotional concepts. These large language models, trained on vast datasets of text and code, possess the ability to generate novel combinations of words and ideas, effectively acting as emotional idea factories. They can analyze existing emotional lexicons, identify gaps, and propose new terms to fill them.

However, the human element remains crucial. While AI can generate the raw material, it's humans who ultimately imbue these neo-emotions with meaning and relevance. We decide which terms resonate, which ones capture a shared experience, and which ones fade into obscurity. In essence, AI acts as a catalyst, but human culture determines the final product.

"We're seeing a democratization of emotional expression," explains Dr. Anya Sharma, a leading researcher in affective computing at the University of California, Berkeley. "Historically, the language of emotion has been shaped by psychologists and philosophers. Now, ordinary people have the tools to contribute to this vocabulary, to articulate nuances of feeling that were previously unnamed."

This ability to name and share new emotions can have a powerful impact on individuals and society. It allows us to better understand ourselves, to connect with others who share similar experiences, and to navigate the complexities of modern life. Imagine, for example, the relief of discovering that the vague sense of unease you feel when constantly bombarded with information has a name: "infobesity." Suddenly, you're not alone in your experience, and you have a framework for understanding and addressing it.

The implications extend beyond individual well-being. Neo-emotions can also shape our understanding of social and political issues. A term like "eco-anxiety," for example, captures the growing sense of fear and helplessness in the face of climate change. By naming this emotion, we can begin to address its root causes and develop strategies for coping with its effects.

Of course, the proliferation of neo-emotions also raises some concerns. Some critics argue that it can lead to emotional inflation, where every fleeting feeling is labeled and pathologized. Others worry that it can create a sense of emotional competition, where people strive to experience and express the most novel and complex emotions.

However, Dr. Sharma believes that the benefits of emotional expansion outweigh the risks. "Ultimately, the ability to articulate our feelings is a form of empowerment," she says. "It allows us to take control of our emotional lives and to shape the world around us."

As AI continues to evolve and our understanding of emotion deepens, we can expect to see even more neo-emotions emerge. Whether these terms are generated by humans, AI, or a combination of both, they will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping our emotional landscape and our understanding of what it means to be human. So, the next time you experience a feeling that you can't quite name, don't be afraid to invent a new word for it. You might just be onto something. You might just be helping others understand themselves a little better, too.