Emotion (4.7)

Understanding Emotion

Emotion, or affect, is a complex psychological process distinguished from reasoning or knowledge (tends to affect decision making and social interactions)

Emotions reflect internal and external factors affecting an individual

EX: Feeling joy when receiving good news, or sadness during a loss

Early theories of emotion were torn on the role of physiology and cognition

Theories differed on whether these occur in succession or simultaneously

EX: Some theories suggest the body reacts first, then the mid interprets the emotion, while others argued they occurred at the same time

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

The facial-feedback hypothesis explores the connection between facial expressions and emotions

Hypothesis: The experience of emotion is influenced by facial expressions

EX: Smiling can make one feel happier

This suggests that physiological experience can precede cognitive appraisal, although results are mixed

Some studies support that facial expressions influence emotions, while others find little to no effect

Broaden-and-Build Theory

The broaden-and-build theory in positive psychology suggests that positive emotions broaden one’s awareness and encourage novel, exploratory thoughts and actions

Positive and negative emotions have different effects on awareness and thought processes

Positive Emotions: Broaden awareness and encourage new actions and thoughts

EX: Joy leading to increased creativity and exploration

Negative Emotions: Reduce awareness and narrow thinking and action

EX: Fear causing a focus on immediate threats and reduced exploration

This theory emphasizes the adaptive functions of different emotions and their influence on one’s behavior

Universality of Emotions

Research explores whether emotional expressions are universally common across cultures

Common Emotions: Anger, disgust, sadness, happiness, surprise, and fear

EX: Smiling is generally associated with happiness worldwide

Anger- Characterized by hostility and frustration. Often surfaces due to negative events/interactions

Disgust- Involves the strong feeling of eversion and repulsion. Often in response to something unappealing, moral/ethical wrong doings, etc.

Sadness- Feelings of loss, helplessness and sorrow. Often in response to a negative event (e.g., grief, loss of object, etc.)

Happiness- Characterized by feelings of contentment and well-being. Often in response to positive events (e.g., winning a game, finishing a goal, etc.)

Fear- Brought on by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat

Surprise- (of something unexpected) cause (someone) to feel mild astonishment or shock

Not all studies agree on the universality of emotion expression, although most of the root emotions appear to be universal

EX: Cultural variations in the expression and interpretation of emotions, like anger, but anger exists universally in all cultures

Display Rules and Elicitors

Cultural differences influence how emotions are displayed and interpreted

Display Rules: Social norms dictating how emotions should be expressed

EX: Suppressing anger in public in some cultures

Elicitors of Emotion: Factors that trigger emotional responses

EX: A compliment may elicit pride in one culture but modesty in another

Different groups within a culture may have different display rules and elicitors

EX: Men may be encouraged to hide sadness, while women may be encouraged to express it