JN

Lesson 9: Affect, Mood, and Emotions

LESSON 9: AFFECT, MOOD, AND EMOTIONS

OBJECTIVES

  • Define “affect” and describe the distinctions between mood and emotion.

  • Critically evaluate the merit and limitations of differing theories of emotion.

  • Identify neural circuits that may be relevant targets for understanding the mechanisms of exercise effects on affective experiences.

WHAT IS AFFECT?

  • Affect: The expression of value given to a feeling state.

  • Modern views separate “affect” into two categories:

    • Generalized affect

    • Specific emotions

  • Temperament and traits: These predispose individuals to emotional responsiveness and changing moods.

  • Mood: Refers to an anticipatory affective experience.

THE AFFECT CIRCUMPLEX

  • Affect is described according to two main dimensions:

    • Valence: Pleasant vs. unpleasant

    • Arousal: High vs. low

  • Mood and emotion both fall under the umbrella of affect as they are indicative of:

    • Anticipatory attitude (mood)

    • Stimulus-response (emotion)

MOOD VS. EMOTION

  • Mood: An anticipatory feeling state which can persist for long durations (e.g., hours, days, weeks).

  • Emotion: A transient feeling state that occurs in response to a specific event or stimulus.

  • Mood and Emotion Characteristics:

    • Both constructs can be described in terms of their positioning in the affect circumplex.

    • Mood is influenced by culminating experiences over time.

    • Example: Negative experiences, such as poor sleep followed by being late or having negative social interactions, accumulate and contribute to a negative mood state.

    • A culminating mood anticipates how we expect our day/week to unfold.

EMOTIONS AND THE AFFECT CIRCUMPLEX

  • Emotions to place within the Affect Circumplex:

    • Anger

    • Fear

    • Disgust

    • Contempt

    • Joy

    • Surprise

    • Sadness

    • Shame

    • Triumph

    • Pride

  • 7 Basic Emotions: Recognized globally with distinct facial-behavioral displays.

  • Definition of Emotion: Involves a coupling of subjective feeling states and physiological responses (autonomic, hormonal, and behavioral).

THEORIES OF EMOTION

  • James-Lange Theory: Proposes that physiological arousal precedes the emotional experience.

  • Carver and Connor-Smith Theory (2010): Emotional responses depend on the appraisal of events related to approach (e.g., blocked goals leading to frustration/anger) or avoidance (e.g., threats leading to fear/anxiety).

PHYSIOLOGICAL ETIOLOGY OF AFFECT

  • Nervous System Overview:

    • Central Nervous System (CNS): Comprises the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord.

    • Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Includes the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which further divides into:

    • Sympathetic Division

    • Parasympathetic Division

    • Enteric Division

    • Somatic Nervous System

  • Endocrine System: Influences hormonal responses.

THE LIMBIC SYSTEM

  • A critical neural circuit that controls emotional behavior and motivational drivers.

  • Plays a significant role in learning and memory.

  • Essential for behavior, mood, and basic life functions (e.g., heart rate, respiration, sleep, pain sensation, digestion).

  • Key Functions: Houses major nuclei responsible for neurotransmitter production (e.g., dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine).

  • Functions as a filter and conduit for sensory input and motor responses.

NEUROTRANSMITTERS (NT)

  • Major NTs relevant to exercise psychology:

    • Glutamate

    • Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

    • Acetylcholine

    • Dopamine

    • Norepinephrine

    • Serotonin

    • Galanin

    • Endorphins

    • Neuropeptide-Y

    • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

    • VGF

  • Function of Neurotransmitters: Chemical substances released at the synapse to transfer impulses from one nerve to another nerve or an effector organ.

HORMONES

  • Hormones are similar to NTs but differ in transport and origin.

  • The autonomic nervous system innervates the endocrine system, initiating the secretion of hormones into the bloodstream.

  • Hormones have similar structure and function to neurotransmitters but travel through the bloodstream to reach their effector organs post-secretion.

NEURAL CIRCUITS AND AFFECT

  • Hemispheric Asymmetry and Affective Style:

    • Neural circuits of affect function differently across the left and right hemispheres.

    • Left frontal hemispheric activity is higher during exposure to positive stimuli.

    • Right frontal hemispheric activity is higher during exposure to negative stimuli.

    • Tonic activation patterns in the frontal cortex may predispose individuals to experience emotional events positively or negatively.

MOTIVATIONAL SYSTEMS

  • Affect is linked to basic motivational systems with neural circuits that produce appetitive (approach) and defensive (avoidance) behavior.

  • Aligns with Carver & Connor-Smith's explanation of affect:

    • Behavioral Activation System: Reward/Approach circuitry (Primary NTs: dopamine, GABA, glutamate)

    • Behavioral Inhibition System: Threat/Anxiety circuitry (Primary NTs: serotonin, norepinephrine)

EXERCISE AND AFFECTIVE STATES

  • Exercise may influence feeling states through biological mechanisms by:

    • Altering neurotransmitter production or uptake related to affective or emotional responses.

    • Possible effects: Increased NT concentration, regulation of receptor density.

    • Impacting the sensitivity of neural circuits to stimuli:

    • Through enhanced connectivity and neurogenesis.

    • Enhancing recovery from emotional provocation, improving emotional resilience.

    • Potentially increasing hemispheric asymmetry towards more pleasant states, changing tonic activation in areas related to emotion.

EMBODIED COGNITION

  • Reciprocal Relationship: Is there a connection between bodily expression of affect and affective experience?

    • The concept of embodied cognition suggests that facial expressions and posture can induce specific feelings without other contextual triggers.

    • Class Activity: Conduct an embodied cognition experiment.

    • Utilize a cross-over design with 90-second conditions comparing postural/facial manipulation vs. control groups.

  • Conclusion: Stay tuned for further exploration into this area!