forms and functions of the social norms

Overview of Social Emotions

  • Social emotions are feelings such as gratitude, pride, anger, shame, guilt, envy, and jealousy that evolved to regulate social interactions.

  • They orchestrate physiology, cognition, and behavior to solve challenges faced by human ancestors.

  • A central function of social emotions is the recalibration of social evaluations: how individuals assess their value and the value they assign to others.

Engineering and Function

  • The concept of "form follows function" applies to social emotions:

    • Emotions must be understood in the context of their adaptive functions, similar to engineered objects.

    • Each social emotion serves specific purposes that were crucial for social survival and cooperation in human evolution.

Importance of Valuation

  • Being valued by others is a critical resource, leading to support, protection, and favorable social treatment.

  • Humans are uniquely equipped to value each other, which is not common in other species (e.g., most nonhuman primates provide benefits primarily to kin).

Adaptive Functions of Specific Emotions

Anger

  • Function: To incentivize better treatment and increase individual value.

  • Triggers: Perceived undervaluation by others.

  • Mechanisms: Aggressive tactics, such as threats or withdrawal of cooperation, increase demands for better treatment.

  • Biological responses include increased heart rate and facial expressions designed to enhance perceived strength.

Gratitude

  • Function: Facilitates cooperation and maintains social bonds by rewarding valuable interactions.

  • Triggers: Assistance from others that significantly benefits the individual.

  • Mechanisms: Recognizing significant efforts from others encourages investments in those relationships.

  • Gratitude leads to escalated mutual valuing, promoting friendships and alliances.

Shame

  • Function: Protects against social devaluation and loss of status.

  • Triggers: Threats or realities of being devalued due to negative actions or traits.

  • Mechanisms: Mobilizes self-protective behaviors (e.g., hiding, apologizing, appeasing), often linked to anxiety and depression.

  • Operates to limit the spread of damaging information about oneself, often leading to complex social behavior patterns.

Pride

  • Function: Enhances social value and encourages further achievement.

  • Triggers: Accomplishments or positive traits appreciated in social contexts.

  • Mechanisms: Promotes actions that are respected or valued, focuses on showcasing achievements, and drives individuals to seek new challenges.

  • Pride expressions can signal success and capability, reinforcing social dynamics favorably.

Interplay and Social Ecology

  • Emotions are not only reactive but also predictive, guiding behavior based on previous experiences and social dynamics.

  • The study of social emotions incorporates insights from evolutionary biology, anthropology, and psychology to understand complex human social interactions.

Concluding Remarks

  • The psychology of social valuation underpins many human emotions and their functions.

  • Research in social emotions continues to explore how these feelings operate within various cultural contexts, emphasizing their evolutionary significance.