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Joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, and everything in between. Mixed Emotions invites families to get curious about feelings through playful, hands-on experiences that turn abstract ideas into something you can explore, play with, and talk about.  

See what happens inside your brain and body when you laugh or cry. Flip through the Emotipedia to discover new feelings from across the globe. Play a game of emotional charades with your friends and family. Mixed Emotions is built around the idea that the more we practice social-emotional skills, the stronger they become.  

Whether you come in laughing, grumpy, shy, or somewhere in between, this exhibit will meet you where you are.

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Mixed Emotions supports the development of social-emotional learning (SEL) skills that research links to stronger relationships, better academic outcomes, and lifelong well-being. Through guessing games, interactive dictionaries, body-and-brain explorations, and reflective prompts, children practice five core competencies: recognizing their own emotions, regulating big feelings, understanding the emotions of others, making thoughtful choices, and building healthy relationships.

The exhibit expands emotional vocabulary well beyond "happy, sad, mad," introducing nuanced words like nervous, overwhelmed, hopeful, and disappointed. Along the way, kids encounter age-appropriate introductions to the science of emotions: the neurophysiology of different emotions, how empathy and emotional contagion work, and the ways that emotions can be expressed and understood differently across cultures and individuals.  

Mixed Emotions creates space for grown-ups too. Caregivers are invited to model and share their own mixed feelings, because kids learn the most about emotions from watching the trusted adults around them navigate their own.

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