1. Emotion, Stress & health

2. Ekman found 6 facial expressions that could be recognized around the world
What 6 emotions do you suppose those are that are expressed with the same ‘face’ around the world?

3. Can you draw a picture for each?
Surprise
Disgust
Happiness
Sadness
Anger
Fear
Pride
Contempt
Ekman knows which muscles you need for each of these emotions

4. Can you imagine a different “feeling” for each?
Sadness
Anger
Fear
Pride

5. Why do we need emotion?
What purpose does it serve?

6. Brain and body: Experience + physiological activity
Amygdala
QUICK response, straight from thalamus – arousal in ANS
SLOW response from thalamus via cortex – ok to turn off the fear? Or not….
Pre-frontal Cortex*
Approach! Good!
Avoid this! Bad!
*When damaged in “frontal lobotomy,” people do neither – they do nothing.

7. Mirror neurons, facial feedback, empathy and “contagious” moods
A happy brain makes us smile, but a smile can make our brain happier, too
When we see others smile, our smiling neurons fire, too… so…
Smiling is “contagious”
Try this….

8. If your last name begins A-L
Hold the end of your pen between your teeth
If your last name begins M-Z
Hold the end of your pen between your lips

9. Gender Differences in Emotion
Feeling or Expression?

10. Can stress make you sick?
Stressors very likely to affect the immune system:
Work related: unemployment and colds!
Noise: airports and blood pressure, hormones, learning problems
Bereavement/loss: Widowed men’s mortality rate rises
Poverty, powerlessness, low status

11. Is the glass half full? How do optimists approach problems?
How do pessimists approach problems?

12. Which is more likely to lead to a heart attack…
Anger?
A heavy workload?
Who benefits from forgiveness?
Who benefits from holding a grudge?