El Capitalismo de la Emoción: Una Aproximación desde la Filosofía de Byung-Chul Han

Abstract

In the context of neoliberal capitalism, the emotional sphere has been incorporated into mechanisms of production and control, shifting the axis of exploitation from the material to the affective. This phenomenon, conceptualized by Byung-Chul Han as the "capitalism of emotion", entails a radical transformation of subjectivity, wherein emotions become exploitable resources, managed, optimized and commodified. This article examines Han's notion from a psychopolitical perspective, analyzing how neoliberalism configures new forms of domination grounded in voluntary self-exploitation and emotional optimization. Based on a theoretical distinction between emotions, feelings, and passions, it explores how the contemporary  subject, turned into an entrepreneur of the self, becomes entrapped in affective performance dynamics, anxiety, and constant validation. The role of digitalization and social media in the consolidation of these mechanisms is also examined, thereby problematizing intersubjective relationships and the impoverishment of emotional life.