PSY 301 - Emotion

by: quizlette17974544

Emotion

A response to a personally meaningful event involving subjective experience, physiology, and behavior; lasts seconds

Emotions vs. moods vs. traits

Emotions last seconds, moods can last days, and traits are tendencies to respond a certain way across situations

Well-being

Good mental and physical health and the absence of disorder

Are positive emotions just pleasant, or do they have real effects?

They have real effects: more life satisfaction, better health, resilience to stress, better relationships, and longer life

How strong is the link between positive emotion and longevity?

About as powerful as the effect of smoking

Do emotions cause well-being or just result from it?

Some research shows emotions actually cause better outcomes, not just follow them

What three aspects of emotion change whether it helps well-being?

Intensity, fluctuation, and context

Is more intense positive emotion always better?

No; it follows an inverted U, helping up to a point, then hurting (linked to risky behavior and mania)

Inverted U-shaped curve

More of something helps up to a point, then more of it becomes harmful

What happens to people who aim never to feel negative emotion?

Lower life satisfaction, less social support, worse grades, and worse physical health

How can too little negative emotion be a problem?

Too little embarrassment harms relationships, blunted sadness is part of depression, and too little fear is a hallmark of psychopathy

Emotion fluctuation

How much emotions vary in intensity over time; big swings are linked to worse well-being

Is emotional stability the same as rigidity?

No; relative stability is best, but psychological flexibility (adapting emotions to the situation) is also healthy

Psychological flexibility

The ability to adapt emotions to changing situations; linked to better well-being

What are the three contexts that affect an emotion's impact?

The external environment, other emotional responses happening at the same time, and other emotions being felt

How does the external environment affect whether an emotion is helpful?

Emotions that fit the situation are best (e.g., happiness at a party, anger in a confrontation, fear in danger)

What happens when people pursue happiness regardless of context?

Lower well-being, more depression, more loneliness, and worse grades

Emotion coherence

How much feelings, facial expressions, behavior, and physiology travel together

What did the stand-up comedy study find about coherence?

People whose laughter matched how amused they felt had better well-being and less depression 6 months later

Why does emotion coherence matter for well-being?

Emotions communicate to others; mismatches seem confusing or fake, so people feel less socially connected

Suppression

Hiding the outward expression of an emotion while still feeling it; habitual suppression is linked to worse well-being and relationships

Mixed emotions

Feeling positive and negative emotions at the same time, which is possible because they are independent

What did the bereaved spouses study find?

People who showed some positive emotion while talking about their deceased spouse recovered faster

How do mixed emotions affect health over time?

Adults whose mixed emotions increased over 10 years were physically healthier

Is a happy life the same as a life of happy moments?

No; a happy life is not just maximizing good feelings and minimizing bad ones

Universalism

View that emotions evolved and are the same in all humans regardless of culture

Social constructivism

View that groups adapted to different environments, so emotions are shaped by culture

Ifaluk example

The Ifaluk see emotions as exchanges between people, while Western views see them as events inside individuals

Facial Action Coding System (FACS)

Ekman and Friesen's system for measuring facial muscle movements tied to specific emotions

What did Ekman's cross-cultural studies find?

People everywhere matched faces to emotions above chance, but recognition rates varied (e.g., 95% of Americans vs. 69% of Sumatrans linked a smile to happiness)

Display rules

Cultural rules about which emotions are appropriate to show in a situation (e.g., biting your tongue signals embarrassment in India)

Where do Americans vs. Japanese look to read emotions?

Americans focus on the mouth; Japanese focus on the eyes

Do scholars today see emotions as universal or cultural?

Both; each part of emotion has some cultural similarities and some differences

Individualism vs. collectivism

Individualism puts personal needs first (North America); collectivism puts group needs first (East Asia)

Independent self

Self seen as separate from others and stable across situations; goal is to express yourself and influence others

Interdependent self

Self seen as connected to others and changing with the situation; goal is to suppress personal wishes and adjust to others

Twenty Statements Test

Americans finished "I am..." with traits (friendly); Japanese finished it with social roles (a daughter, a student)

How do physiology and facial expressions compare across cultures?

Bodily responses like heart rate are similar, but facial expressions differ (European Americans smiled more than Hmong Americans while feeling the same)

Hydraulic model of emotion

The idea that holding emotions in harms psychological functioning

How does culture change the effects of suppression?

Suppression is linked to depression in European Americans but not in Hong Kong Chinese, where it is a normal way to fit in

How does depression look different across cultures?

Depressed European Americans show muted emotions, but depressed East Asian Americans show similar or even more emotion

Who is more likely to feel bad during good events?

East Asians, who more often feel mixed emotions because they consider how their success affects others

Dialectical thinking

Being comfortable with contradiction and change, making mixed feelings easier to accept

Affect

Feelings described by valence (pleasant to unpleasant) and arousal (high to low)

Ideal affect

The feelings a person wants to feel

Actual affect

The feelings a person actually feels

High arousal positive (HAP) states

Excited, enthusiastic, energetic feelings; preferred in North America

Low arousal positive (LAP) states

Calm, peaceful, relaxed feelings; preferred in East Asia

Why do cultures differ in ideal affect?

Influencing others requires action (high arousal); adjusting to others requires calm attention (low arousal)

How does ideal affect show up in everyday life?

In activities (skydiving vs. lounging on a beach), media (excited vs. calm smiles), and definitions of happiness

How does ideal affect relate to depression across cultures?

European Americans are more depressed when they lack excitement; Hong Kong Chinese are more depressed when they lack calm

What did the children's storybook study find?

Kids read exciting stories later valued excitement and picked louder toys; kids read calm stories valued calm, in every culture

What do different cultures base life satisfaction on?

European Americans mostly on self-esteem; Hong Kong Chinese equally on self-esteem and relationship harmony