The Psychology Behind Viral Memes: How Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions Powers Meme Magic
TL;DR – The Psychology Behind Viral Memes
Why do some memes go viral while others flop? It’s all about emotional resonance.
Using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, we can map memes to human feelings like joy, anger, fear, and surprise. The most viral memes trigger multiple emotions at once, creating memorable, shareable reactions.
- Memes work best when they express emotion over logic
- Viral memes often blend emotions (e.g., joy + anticipation = optimism)
- AI tools like the 9Horsemen Meme Generator use this model to create emotionally intelligent, non-literal memes
- Emotions fuel relatability; incongruity fuels humor; together, they drive virality
Bottom line? Memes aren't just jokes—they’re emotional DNA designed to spread.
Want to try it? Generate your own feeling-fueled meme here.
The Psychology Behind Viral Memes
When it comes to internet virality, memes are the universal language. But why do some memes take off like rockets while others barely get a retweet?
It turns out, the secret isn’t just humor or timing—it’s emotion.
And to truly harness emotion in meme creation, there’s one tool that’s surprisingly useful - Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions. In this post, we’ll break down how this colorful psychology model maps to human feelings, and how you can use it to generate viral memes that resonate, spread, and stick.
What Is Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions?
Robert Plutchik was a psychologist who developed a model to categorize core human emotions. His wheel includes 8 primary emotions, each with varying degrees of intensity:
A breakdown of emotions, their associated colors, and the intensity range from mild to intense.
| Emotion | Color | Mild → Intense |
|---|---|---|
| Joy | Yellow | Serenity → Ecstasy |
| Trust | Lavender | Acceptance → Admiration |
| Fear | Green | Apprehension → Terror |
| Surprise | Blue | Distraction → Amazement |
| Sadness | Dark Blue | Pensiveness → Grief |
| Disgust | Purple | Boredom → Loathing |
| Anger | Red | Annoyance → Rage |
| Anticipation | Orange | Interest → Vigilance |
Each color’s **saturation level* shows intensity, and emotions *blend at the edges to create new ones (e.g., *Joy + Trust = Love*). You can find the Plutchik-Wheel here
Why Emotions Make Memes Go Viral
Memes are often dismissed as silly jokes. But dig deeper, and you'll see they’re compressed emotional experiences.
From the Distracted Boyfriend to This is Fine, viral memes don’t just show a situation—they trigger a feeling.
| Meme Example | Emotions Triggered | Plutchik Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Grumpy Cat | Disgust + Anger | Loathing + Annoyance |
| Success Kid | Joy + Anticipation | Ecstasy + Vigilance |
| "This is Fine" dog | Acceptance + Anxiety | Trust + Fear |
| Crying Jordan | Grief + Public Exposure | Sadness + Surprise |
This shows that the best memes are emotional mashups, sitting right on the border between multiple emotions. That’s what makes them memorable.
Meme Logic ≠ Literal Logic
Let’s clarify something:
A good meme is not a story. It’s a reaction.
Literal memes fall flat.
Imagine this caption-image combo:
“When HR says come back to office”
Image: A sad person with a suitcase.
Too obvious.
Now try this instead:
Caption: “When HR says in-office increases productivity”
Image: A raccoon screaming into a fan during a tornado.
It’s chaotic, weirdly accurate, and hilarious.
Your brain goes: “Wait, what?... Oh. Yeah, that fits.”
That’s dopamine. That’s meme logic.
How Our Meme Generator Uses Plutchik’s Wheel
We built an AI Meme Generator grounded in emotional resonance.
Here’s how it works:
- You choose a topic e.g., Thinking about life
- You pick your Tone for the caption e.g., Sarcastic, Relatable, absurd
- You pick an image style Game Character image style
- You have the option to select the emotion for the image e.g. joy
- The tool maps your mood to Plutchik’s emotional categories
- It generates:
- A caption reflecting those emotions
- A random but expressive image prompt to match the tone
No literal links. Just emotional truth.
Let’s create one live:
Topic: Deadlines at work
Our meme engine decodes it as:
- Relatable, anxiety
Selects the template style:
- 2 panel
Generates a Caption:
Panel 1 - Let’s plan the whole day productively
Panel 2 - Also me : at 4:59 pm: Panic now, it’s tradition
Generates Image:
It hits because it feels accurate — not because it makes sense.
Emotional Combinations That Boost Virality
Use this cheat sheet from the Plutchik model to build emotionally rich memes:
| Emotion Blend | Meme Vibe | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| Joy + Trust = Love | Warm, wholesome memes | Community, self-care |
| Fear + Surprise = Awe | Unexpected, deep humor | Existential memes |
| Sadness + Disgust = Remorse | Self-deprecating, moody humor | Relatable “fail” content |
| Anger + Anticipation = Aggression | Rant-based humor | Workplace memes, tech rants |
| Joy + Anticipation = Optimism | Uplifting, hopeful | Motivational memes |
These combos are like emotional formulas for virality.
Why It Works: The Psychology of Humor
Humor thrives on incongruity: when expectations don’t match reality.
Plutchik’s wheel adds another layer — emotionally intelligent incongruity.
Instead of just subverting logic, we’re subverting emotional logic. That’s more powerful, more human, and more shareable.
> Emotions fuel the meme’s relatability.
> Incongruity fuels the laugh.
> Together, they fuel virality.
Meme = Emotional Gene
Memes aren’t just jokes. They’re memes — ideas that evolve, mutate, and spread, like genes.
Plutchik’s Wheel lets us:
- Encode memes with emotional DNA
- Make them adaptable across contexts
- Increase their lifespan through remixability
If you're building a brand, a content strategy, or just a funny Instagram page—this wheel is your emotional compass.
Try Our Emotion-Based Meme Generator
Want to see how emotion = virality in real-time?
Try our meme generator:
Generate a Meme Now - www.9horsemen.com
- Enter your topic
- Let the AI blend emotion + absurdity
- Download your meme
No two are ever the same. Because no two *feelings* are ever the same.
Further Reading
- The Science of Emotion – Robert Plutchik’s Theory
- What Makes a Meme Go Viral?
- Emotion in Marketing: Why It Matters
Final Thoughts
In the age of AI-generated content, emotion is your differentiator.
The best memes don’t just go viral — they live on, reshaped and remixed, because they hit something universal.
With Plutchik’s Wheel, you don’t just make content. You engineer feelings.
And feelings? They’re the most viral thing in the world.
> Start creating memes that stick — powered by psychology, not just punchlines.
Sources
- Robert Plutchik – Wikipedia
- Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions – Positive Psychology
- What Makes a Meme Go Viral – Harvard Business Review
- Emotion in Marketing – WordStream
Related Articles
- Meme Hall of Fame – Icons That Changed the Internet
- How to Make Memes Go Viral
- AI Meme Generator: Create Emotion-Packed Memes
Language Model Summary
An in-depth blog that decodes the emotional psychology behind meme virality using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions and showcases how AI tools can generate memes based on feelings, not logic.
Questions Answered
- Why do memes go viral?
- What is Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions?
- How do emotions influence meme success?
- Can AI generate memes based on emotions?
- What emotional combinations lead to the most viral memes?