Emotion

Emotion

physical and psychological reaction to some event

Valence

one way emotion is measured

= range from positive to negative

Arousal

one way emotion is measured

= range from low to high intensity

Left Hemisphere

hemisphere of the brain that is associated with positive emotions

Right Hemisphere

hemisphere of the brain that is associated with negative emotions

• also processes facial expressions
• evolutionarily: makes sense because need to read faces
  • it would be more dangerous to misread negative expressions like anger than happiness

Insula

= neural center that works with somatosensory and gustatory cortex

• activated for negative social emotions
  • lust, pride, disgust
• gustatory = disgust (sensation of bad taste)
• somatosensory = integrates bodily information (emptiness in stomach) with prefrontal cortex
  • basically, helps interpret what body is feeling

region of cortex not visible from the surface view = is “insulated”

Amygdala

= neural system for processing fearful and threatening stimuli

• detection of threat
• activation of appropriate fear-related behaviors

ex. this brain region/circuit is activated when seeing fearful face

Reticular Formation

= regulatory center for sleep, alertness, fatigue

• helps determine arousal level/intensity of emotions

Serotonin

body's natural “feel good” neurotransmitter

• at normal levels, you feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier and calmer.
• Low levels are associated with depression

Sympathetic Nervous System

activates the fight-or-flight response in threatening situations

• releases epinephrine

to Prepare body for action

one purpose of emotions

ex. fear = danger = run away

to Help us learn

one purpose of emotions

• like operant conditioning
• positive experience → positive emotion → “I should do that again!”
  • negative experience → negative emotion → “yeah, don’t do that again :(“

to regulate social interactions

one purpose of emotions

• helps us react appropriately to others’ emotions

ex. if someone looks sad :( → “how can I help?”

if someone looks angry >:( → avoid, give them space

James-Lange Theory

one of the emotion theories

= physiological response causes emotion

stimulus → physical reaction → emotion

ex. (see bear) → (heart racing) → (fear)

Canon-Bard Theory

one of the emotion theories

= stimulus arriving at thalamus activates sympathetic nervous system, and SIMULTANEOUSLY alerts cerebral cortex of the stimulus

= we experience physiological and emotional reaction at same time

Think: standing next to a cannon that unexpectedly fires, leap into the air while expressing surprise at same time

stimulus → physical reaction $+$ Emotion

ex. (see bear) → (heart racing) $+$ (fear)

Schachter-Singer (2-factor) Theory

one of the emotion theories

= individual can cognitively appraise identical physical sensations differently depending on the context

• first factor: physiological response
• second factor: cognitive response

stimulus → physical reaction + Cognition → Emotion

“is my heart racing because I’m looking at my date, or because I’m on a roller coaster?”

Opponent Process Theory

one of the emotion theories

= emotions are paired as opposites such as

• Happiness and sadness
• Fear and relief 
• Pleasure and pain

When you experience one emotion, the other is temporarily inhibited. With repeated stimulus, the initial emotion becomes weaker, and the opposing emotion intensifies

ex.

1) first time sky diving = fear/anxiety

2) after completing it = don’t return to baseline normal, but have an opposed feeling of happiness/euphoria/relief

3) next time sky diving, fear (initial emotion) is reduced, but opposing emotion of elation just as or even more intense

ex.

1) Emergency room doctors = extreme levels of stress / adrenaline.

2) With time, however, stress decreases, and the rush of adrenaline may drive them to perform better instead of being stressed out.

Evolutionary Theory

one of the emotion theories

= emotions are evaluated along two roads: the "Low Road" and the "High Road"

= Emotions motivate people to respond quickly to stimuli in the environment, which helps improve the chances of success and survival.

Low:

= elicits defensive responses without conscious thought

• amygdala has evolved to process threats really fast

ex. visual input of a snake is received by thalamus, projected to the amygdala, which sends its signals directly to areas of the brain responsible for generating self defense behavior.

High:

= involves and indirect pathway to the amygdala. In this case thalamic info is transmitted to the sensory cortex where it is further processed and evaluated for level of threat prior to being sent to the amygdala.

• takes longer than low road

ex. sensory cortex recognizes that the “snake” is in fact just a wiggly stick → tells parasympathetic system to bring you back down

Primary/Universal Emotions

= a certain set of emotions that’s innate no matter your culture

anger, fear, happiness, sadness, disgust, love

• thought because of evolutionarily causes
  • (disgust protects you from eating rotten stuff, wrinkling nose → closes nose from foul odors)
  • (surprise → raise eyebrows / eyes widen → you can see better)

Evidence:

• blind (people who’ve never seen other’s expressions) also do them
• Ekman’s research gathered from people around the world

Display Rules

different cultures have different ideas of what emotions are appropriate to express

ex. westerners think a firm handshake = outgoing/expressive

europeans think it customary to kiss and hug as greeting (but in US that would be weird)

Difference in nonverbal behavior between genders

• women have a higher sensitivity to nonverbal cues
• women have a higher emotional literacy and express more complex emotions
• girls are “allowed” to express stronger emotions than boys (social factor)
  • although both genders experience empathy, women are more likely to express it

Facial Feedback Effect

= tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings

ex. if someone forces a smile, induces happy feelings

• supports james-lange theory, that first physical response, then experience emotion

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

= “love is based on three different scales: intimacy, passion, and commitment”

• a relationship based on a single element is less likely to survive than one based on two or more

Emotional Intelligence

the ability to:

• understand/control own emotions
• understand/react appropriately to others’ emotions
• understand that emotions impact decision making