Contempt
A cool, dismissive sense of superiority toward someone judged unworthy — low activation compared to Anger, defined by distance rather than heat.
How it shows up
Contempt shows up as an eye-roll, a dismissive tone, or a sense that someone is beneath serious attention. It often follows judgments that a person is incompetent, dishonest, or unworthy, and it creates distance rather than confrontation. Some researchers who study relationships consider it especially corrosive when it becomes habitual, though that work is mostly correlational. Its cool, looking-down quality is what separates it from the heat of anger.
How it differs from Anger
Anger is hot and moves toward confrontation; contempt is cool and creates distance by treating the other as not worth engaging.
Notice
Notice moments when you dismiss someone rather than disagree with them, and what judgment sits underneath.
Where it is felt
Felt most in the face, chest and head.
Based on Nummenmaa et al. (2014), bodily maps of emotions, and related research. The map shows where people report bodily sensation, on average; individual experience varies.