EMOTIONS, STRESS, AND HEALTH PART I EMOTIONS, STRESS, AND HEALTH

TRUE OR FALSE 1. The polygraph has proved to be extremely effective in detecting lies. 2. Some emotional responses involve no conscious thinking. 3. Introverts are superior to extraverts at reading others’ emotions. 4. Facial expressions associated with emotions such as happiness and fear are the same the world over. 5. Venting your anger seems to reduce anger and aggression in the long run. 6. Kidney dialysis patients report being just as happy as healthy nonpatients. 7. Compared with others, pessimists are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease. 8. Psychological states cannot have physiological effects. 9. Efforts to reduce stress in AIDS patients has no effect on the course of their 10. Research has shown that prolonged stress can cause cancer.

ANSWERS False True

2 STORIES FOR YOU 1) Tell the Story about Myers taking the film to be developed 2) My similar story and the Facebook Response

What are the components of emotion? As evidenced by our stories we know that emotions are a mix of: Physiological Arousal (heart pounding) Expressive Behaviors (quickened pace) Consciously experienced thoughts (in Myers case…”Is this a kidnapping?”) and feelings (fear, and later joy)

The Chicken and the Egg Does your physiological arousal precede or follow your emotional experience? Did Myers’ heart race lead to his being anxious, or did his anxiety make his heart race?

William James James said that “ we feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike and afraid because we tremble.” For example, if your car fishtailed and you steer out of it, you notice your racing heart, and nervous shake, and then your whoosh of emotion AFTER your physical response.

James-Lange Theory So to put it simply, it is the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli.

Cannon-Bard Theory The theory than an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers: Physiological Responses The Subjective experience of emotion One does not cause the other.

Two-Factor Theory Proposed by Shachter and Johnson. The theory that to experience emotion one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal.

Question for You Guys Can you remember a time when you began to feel upset or uneasy and only later labeled those feelings?

TEST YOURSELF Christine is holding her 8-month-old baby when a fierce dog appears out of nowhere and with teeth bared, leaps for the baby’s face. Christine immediately ducks for cover to protect the baby. She screams at the dog and notices that her heart is banging in her chest and she’s broken out in a cold sweat. How would the James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Two-Factor theories explain Christine’s emotional reaction?

EMOTIONS AND THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

“No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear “No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in my stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.” --C.S. Lewis

Physiological Similarities Among Specific Emotions Mr. Wachs read #3 on page 370 aloud from AP Book

In 1966 a young man named Charles Whitman killed his wife and mother and then climbed to the top of a tower at the University of Texas and shot 38 people. An autopsy later revealed a tumor pressing against his amygdala which may have contributed to his violence.

Can you detect if a smile is true or fake? Another question for you… Botox paralyzes facial muscles that create wrinkles, allowing the overlying skin to relax and smooth. By erasing the subtle expressions of frown lines or smiling eyes, might this cosmetic procedure hide subtle emotions?

STORY OF JACKIE LARSEN Page 379 In AP BOOK

Does Each Gender Have Rules for Emotional Expression? Would these be acceptable in our culture? 2 men kissing each other in greeting? 2 women patting each other on the behind during a sports competition Men crying at a sad movie Women violently expressing anger Men hugging to celebrate an occasion

Culture and Emotion: What are these people feeling?

Answers: Left to right, top to bottom: Happiness, Surprise, Fear, Sadness, Anger, Disgust

Homework Assignment: “Lie to Me” Write a 2-3 page paper on some aspect of Lie Detection (or another aspect of reading and detecting emotions). You can research how forensic psychologists use polygraphs and apply their findings Why are law enforcement officials so confident of the use of polygraphs in investigations?