Emotion

Emotion Why do we have emotions? Three major elements: Reproduction (e.g., lust, love) Self-protection (e.g., anger & fear) Social structure (e.g., love, liking) Three major elements: Physiological Cognitive Cultural

Physiological Common Sense View James-Lange Theory Event -> Emotion -> Physiological response James-Lange Theory Event -> Physiological response -> Emotion “We feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, afraid because we tremble (W. James, 1884).”

The Face of Emotion Six basic facial expressions: anger, happiness, fear, surprise, disgust, and sadness. Recognized across cultures with high reliability. Consensus highest for happiness, lowest for fear. Some context dependence. Probably used for communication, both to others and to ourselves.

Emotion & The Brain Amygdala Cerebral Cortex Evaluates sensory information for emotional importance; approach vs. avoid assessment. Damage causes emotional abnormalities. Cerebral Cortex “Rational” appraisal Some hemispheric specialization RH: Recognition of emotional expression

Energy of Emotion Medulla releases epinephrine & norepinephrine Leads to state of arousal, the sine qua non of emotion. General vs. specific arousal?

Can lies be detected? Even very experienced professionals are no better than chance at detecting whether someone is lying. Problem with lie detectors: No physiological patterns of responses are specific to lying. Interpretation is unreliable More likely to accuse the innocent than to release the guilty

Cognitive Two-factor Theory of Emotion Event -> Physiological response -> Cognitive interpretation -> Emotion Emotions may be more closely associated with explanations than with outcomes (e.g., good vs. bad performance on exams) Olympic medallists

Loneliness & Depression Who are the loneliest people in the US according to surveys? Three aspects of cognition are important in loneliness & depression: Internality: Internal vs. external causes? Stability: Permanent vs. temporary? Control: Out of control vs. in control?

Loneliness & Depression Depressed or anxious people can learn how thinking affects emotions and change their thinking accordingly. Gillham et al. (1995) 69 5th & 6th grade children at risk for depression. Prevention group was taught to identify pessimistic beliefs; to examine evidence for and against beliefs; to generate more realistic alternatives. Control group received no training.

“Inoculation” Against Depression

The Culture Primary-Secondary Emotions Primary are experienced universally fear, anger, sadness, happiness, surprise, disgust, & contempt Secondary are culture specific Germans: schadenfreude (joy at another’s misfortune) Japan: ijirashii (the feeling associated with an admirable person overcoming an obstacle) Czech: litost (“a state of torment caused by the sudden insight into one’s own miserable self,” Kundera)

The Culture ´Primary emotions Physiological patterns Facial expressions Prototypes Tend to be evoked by the same situations across cultures

The Culture Display rules Emotion work Hiding emotions we feel, and showing emotions we do not feel. Women: “flight attendants” Men: “bill collectors”

Summary Emotions have three elements: Physiological, cognitive, & cultural. A relatively small number of emotions seem to be common to all cultures. The experience of emotion is affected by cognition and culture.