PSYCHOLOGY Chapter 13 Emotion

zWhere do emotions come from? zWhy do we have them? zDo (did) they serve an evolutionary function? zOf what are they made?

Emotion  Emotion  a response of the whole organism  physiological arousal  expressive behaviors  conscious experience (cognition)  thoughts and feelings

Theories of Emotion  Does your heart pound because you are afraid... or are you afraid because you feel your heart pounding?

James-Lange Theory of Emotion  Experience of emotion is awareness of physiological responses to emotion- arousing stimuli Fear (emotion) Pounding heart (arousal) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus)

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion  Emotion-arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger:  physiological responses  subjective experience of emotion Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) Pounding heart (arousal) Fear (emotion)

Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion  To experience emotion one must:  be physically aroused  cognitively label the arousal Cognitive label “I’m afraid” Fear (emotion) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) Pounding heart (arousal)

Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion zSchachter’s theory is also sometimes called cognitive labeling theory or even the juke-box theory of emotion zOnce the arousal takes place we cognitively label it and it is this label, or context, that determines the emotion zThe epinephrine experiment – the impact of the other person’s mood on yours

Cognition and Emotion zEmotion is the combination of physical changes we experience when we are exposed to an emotional stimulus – increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, pupil dilation, etc. (arousal) zFeeling is the conscious experience of this emotional state, produced by the processing of all of these bodily changes at a higher level in the cortex

Cognition and Emotion  The brain’s shortcut for emotions

Cognition and Emotion zEmotions then are tied to our autonomic nervous system over which the conscious mind has no control zFeelings are the brain’s effort at constructing a story to explain bodily reactions to the environment zThe key structure in the pathways involved is our amygdala

Two Routes to Emotion

Theories of Emotion zNo single proposed theory explains all of the nuances of the subjective experience of emotion zEmotions can be stimulated by external as well as internal (subjective) stimuli memories can trigger feelings zThere is more than one process involved Arousal & cognition

Emotion and Physiology Autonomic nervous system controls physiological arousal Sympathetic division (arousing) Pupils dilate Decreases Perspires Increases Accelerates Inhibits Secrete stress hormones Parasympathetic division (calming) Pupils contract Increases Dries Decreases Slows Activates Decreases secretion of stress hormones EYES SALIVATION SKIN RESPIRATION HEART DIGESTION ADRENAL GLANDS

Arousal and Performance  Performance peaks at lower levels of arousal for difficult tasks, and at higher levels for easy or well- learned tasks

Nonverbal Communication zMost human beings are capable of reading another’s emotions by paying attention to their body movements and positions, listening to their voices, and studying their faces zTrying to hide emotions is difficult and physically taxing

Expressed Emotion  People more speedily detect an angry face than a happy one (Ohman, 2001a)

Gender and Recognition zResearch indicates that women are generally more sensitive to nonverbal cues than men zThey are also demonstrate more emotional literacy than men zThey also tend to describe themselves as more empathetic than men (empathy = the ability to identify with others)

Expressed Emotion  Culturally universal expressions

Facial Expressions zWhile the meaning of gestures may vary with culture, facial expressions typically do not zChildren's’ facial expressions are also universal zThis tends to support evolutionary psychology theory – shared heritage explains shared expressions

Facial Expressions zWhile most humans can identify the universal facial expressions there are huge cultural differences in display rules, when and to what degree are they permissible zThere are many facial expressions that are not universal but are learned behavior

Experienced Emotion  Infants’ naturally occurring emotions

Universal Expressions zHappiness zAnger zSadness zFear zSurprise zDisgust zAnticipation zTrust

Universal Emotions zFear zAnger zSadness zJoy zThe emotional palette z Disgust z Contempt z Surprise z Shame z Guilt z Interest- excitement

Experienced Emotion  Anger  We are often “provoked” to anger  Catharsis  emotional release  catharsis hypothesis  “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges  Temporary at best

Experienced Emotion  Happiness  subjective well-being  positive psychology  Feel-good, do-good phenomenon  people’s tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

Experienced Emotion  Subjective Well-Being  self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life  used along with measures of objective well-being  physical and economic indicators to evaluate people’s quality of life

Experienced Emotion  Does money buy happiness? Year 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Average per-person after-tax income in 1995 dollars Percentage describing themselves as very happy $20,000 $19,000 $18,000 $17,000 $16,000 $15,000 $14,000 $13,000 $12,000 $11,000 $10,000 $9,000 $8,000 $7,000 $6,000 $5,000 $4, Percentage very happy Personal income

Experienced Emotion  Changing materialism

Experienced Emotion  Adaptation-Level Phenomenon  Our tendency to form judgments relative to a “neutral” level  brightness of lights  volume of sound  level of income  defined by our prior experience  Relative Deprivation  perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

Experienced Emotion  Moods across the day

Happiness is... Researchers Have Found That Happy People Tend to Have high self-esteem (in individualistic countries) Be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable Have close friendships or a satisfying marriage Have work and leisure that engage their skills Have a meaningful religious faith Sleep well and exercise However, Happiness Seems Not Much Related to Other Factors, Such as Age Gender (women are more often depressed, but also more often joyful) Education levels Parenthood (having children or not) Physical attractiveness