4/7 Adaptive and Maladaptive Emotions Study Guide

William James (1884): Proposed that emotions follow this sequence…

: Exciting event → Bodily response → Perception of bodily responses as emotion.

James’ Thought Experiment:

Without bodily sensations, emotions like fear or love wouldn’t exist.

Walter Cannon

Criticized James, arguing that the brain triggers bodily responses and that emotions involve the brain, not just the body.

Current Understanding of Emotion and Bodily Changes

: they arise from both the body and brain, connecting mind and body.

William James' Background

: Born in 1842, studied art, chemistry, and medicine; became a professor at Harvard. Known for Principles of Psychology and theories on emotion.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

: Regulates bodily functions like blood flow, glucose, digestion, and emotional responses. Controlled by the cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

Where does the parasympathetic nervous system originate?

Top and bottom of the spinal cord.

What effect does the parasympathetic nervous system have on heart rate and blood pressure?

Decreases heart rate and blood pressure.

How does the parasympathetic nervous system affect blood flow?

Increases blood flow (e.g., erectile tissue).

What role does the parasympathetic nervous system play in digestion?

Facilitates digestion and salivation.

How does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the pupils and bronchioles?

Constricts pupils and bronchioles (smaller branches of the bronchial airways in the lower respiratory tract)

What is a key function of the parasympathetic nervous system in social behavior?

Plays a role in relaxation and social connection.

Where does the sympathetic nervous system originate?

Middle of the spinal cord.

How does the sympathetic nervous system affect heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output?

Causes an increase.

What effect does the sympathetic nervous system have on digestion and energy levels?

Reduces digestion and increases energy.

What is the main role of the sympathetic nervous system in response to threats?

Prepares the body for fight-or-flight responses.

What are common methods used to measure autonomic nervous system activity?

Heart rate, finger pulse, galvanic skin response, and respiration.

How do research findings on ANS measurements support James’ theory of emotion?

They show that different emotions have distinct physiological responses.

Who developed the Directed Facial Action Task (DFA) and when?

Ekman & Friesen in the 1970s.

What is the purpose of the Directed Facial Action Task (DFA)?

To study expressions and their connection to autonomic responses.

How is the DFA conducted to study facial expressions and autonomic responses?

Participants hold facial expressions for six emotions (anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, and a smile).

What key finding emerged from the DFA regarding emotional expressions and autonomic responses?

Different emotions produce unique autonomic responses.

What does research show about autonomic responses across cultures?

Similar patterns exist in different cultures (e.g., Minangkabau people).

How do autonomic responses change with age?

Elderly adults show reduced autonomic responses.

What autonomic changes occur with contentment?

Reduced heart rate, blood pressure, and no sweating.

❓ How does amusement affect autonomic responses?

Heart rate drops, but blood pressure rises.

What happens to heart rate and vasoconstriction during love?

Heart rate increases, but no vasoconstriction occurs.

How does awe influence the sympathetic nervous system?

Reduces sympathetic influence on the heart.

What autonomic response is linked to enthusiasm?

Electrodermal response (sweaty palms).

How does sexual desire activate the nervous system?

Both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are activated.

What is vagal tone associated with?

Caregiving, compassion, and social connection.

What are the three evolutionary components of the ANS?

- Dorsal vagal complex: Basic functions (e.g., digestion).
- Sympathetic ANS: Fight-or-flight.

- Ventral vagal complex: Regulates calm and prosocial emotions (unique to mammals).

What does higher vagal tone indicate?

Greater compassion, social connection, and positive emotions.

What is the blush, and what emotions is it linked to?

A visible autonomic response associated with embarrassment, shame, and modesty.

What causes the redness in blushing?

Increased blood volume in subcutaneous capillaries.

What triggers blushing?

Social reputation threats, embarrassment, shame, and romantic attraction.

What is the social function of blushing?

Signals awareness and regret, helping repair social reputation.

What is piloerection, and what emotion causes it?

Goosebumps caused by intense emotions.

What are some triggers for chills?

Positive moments (e.g., graduation, music), awe-inspiring landscapes, music, and art.

What are the two types of chills?

• Goosetingles

• Cold shivers

Goosetingles

Tingling sensation linked to awe and positive emotions.

Cold shivers

Shudder in the back linked to fear and disgust.

When do people typically feel awe?

In the presence of something vast or transcendent.

What are common triggers for awe?

Spiritual or political leaders, cultural artifacts (e.g., Taj Mahal), nature (e.g., Grand Canyon), music, and art.

❓ What effects does awe have on people?

Increases generosity, humility, happiness, and expands sense of time.

What is the dark side of awe?

It can be linked to threat or alienation (e.g., Holocaust, climate change).

What is Social Evaluative Threat (SET), and how does it affect the body?

A stress response that increases inflammation (e.g., cytokines like TNF-alpha).

What helps reduce inflammation in the body?

Positive emotions, awe, and exposure to nature.

Where in the body is anger typically felt?

Hands, upper body, and face.

Which emotion is associated with cold sensations in the hands?

Fear

Which parts of the body reflect disgust sensations?

Stomach and mouth.

What regions are activated during the feeling of love?

Heart and genital areas.

Which parts of the body are tied to pride?

Torso and head.

What emotion is linked to sensations in the face and blushing?

Shame.

What is the term for being aware of internal bodily sensations like heartbeat and breathing?

Interoception.

Objective:

Accurate tracking of body signals

Subjective:

Personal awareness.

What does metacognitive interoception involve?

Knowing how well one can track internal sensations.

What is linked to stronger emotions and better emotion regulation?

High interoceptive awareness.

How is interoception related to autism?

Challenges with interoception can affect emotional understanding.

What theory explains how bodily responses help with making decisions?

Somatic Marker Hypothesis (Damasio, 1994).

How did Phineas Gage’s brain injury affect his emotions and decisions?

Damage to his vmPFC caused emotional dulling and risky decision-making.

What does the Iowa Gambling Task show about decision-making in people with vmPFC damage?

They take more risks due to lacking bodily cues.

How does interoception impact decision quality?

Better interoception leads to better decision-making.

What was found in the study of stock traders and bodily awareness?

Those with better interoception performed more successfully.

What is the role of mimicry in emotional connection?

We do this to others’ emotional expressions to form social bonds.

What is cortisol mimicry?

When stress hormone levels mirror those of people around us.

Who do we tend to mimic more often?

Close others and high-power individuals.

Which types of emotions are mimicked more—affiliative or adversarial?

Affiliative emotions like smiling.

How does Botox affect emotional understanding?

It reduces mimicry and impairs emotion recognition and empathy.