Specific · Activated

Startled

Part of the Stress Response Wheel

What is Startled?

Easily surprised or jolted by small stimuli. Your baseline arousal is so high that normal sounds or movements feel jarring.

When you might feel startled

Startled is a specific form of hypervigilance, which itself is a type of activated. You might experience this feeling in situations where activated is present, particularly when the circumstances align with the nuances that define startled.

Keep exploring

Related Emotions

Interactive wheel

Explore Startled on the Interactive Wheel

Use our free interactive feeling wheel to explore startled and discover related emotions.

Open Stress Response Wheel