Where do emotions come from? What are they made of? Why do we have them? ADAPTIVE - Survival Emotion AP Psych Myers Ch. 13
Emotion A response of the whole organism, involving physiological arousal expressive behaviors conscious experience Myers recalls an experience during which his son left his side in a mall Physiological arousal quickened heartbeat Expressive behaviors quickened pace, worried facial expression Conscious experience thoughts (kidnapping?) and feelings (fear, later joy)
Theories of Emotion Which comes first? Physiological arousal Emotion feelings
Common Sense Emotion physiological response Sad cry Happy smile and laugh Fearful tremble
James-Lange Theory Physical arousal occurs before the emotion The heart races BEFORE the feeling of fear is felt. PROBLEMS Your body s physiological symptoms can be associated with all kinds of emotions. A racing heart doesn t always indicate fear! The body often reacts slower than the feeling of emotions. You feel sad before you cry.
Cannon-Bard Theory Simultaneous experience of physiological arousal and emotion. Your heart races AS you experience fear. PROBLEMS How can it happen at the same time all the time? What about physiological symptoms that do not have a felt emotion? Or a felt emotion that doesn t present a physiological response at the same time?
Two-Factor Theory (Schachter-Singer) Physiological arousal occurs and the brain appraises the arousal to label the emotion felt. Emotions are context-dependent Racing heart can mean fear or happiness depending on the context. Physiology + Cognition = Emotion
Theories of Emotion Scenario: An on coming car is in your lane! AHHHH!! You experience a pounding heart. The emotion experienced is fear. For each theory, sketch the sequence of events. (hint: each theory starts with the stimulus) James-Lange Cannon-Bard Two-Factor
Embodied Emotion Emotions are not felt by the mind, but by the entire body.
Emotions and the Autonomic Nervous System Autonomic nervous system mobilizes body for action Sympathetic nervous system AROUSES Parasympathetic nervous system CALMS para as in paralyzed or slowed
Physiological Similarities and Differences of Emotions Similarities Fear, anger, and sexual arousal can manifest physiologically in similar ways CONTEXT MATTERS Differences Similar physiological heart rate response for fear and joy but use different facial muscles Brain differences Right frontal lobe Negative emotions, depression Left frontal lobe positive emotions, active with positive personalities; more dopamine pathways
Lie Detection Polygraph a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion PROBLEMS Physiological arousal is the same for many emotions Increased stress level due to accusations made Savvy criminals can pass by manipulating their arousal Guilty knowledge test monitor responses to questions using info that only the criminal would know The untrained eye can detect lying only 50% of the time essentially by chance.
Expressed Emotion Expressed behaviors (nonverbal cues) can reveal emotions. Vary with culture? Can expressions influence our experienced emotions?
Nonverbal Communication Most people can detect nonverbal emotional cues, especially those that indicate a threat. Recognize many emotions in the eyes NEED to be aware that some nonverbal cues can be multiple things (ex: crossed arms)
Nonverbal Communication Experiences can sensitize us to recognizing certain emotions Abused children will recognize an angry face quicker AND assume more faces portray anger.
Gender, Emotion, and Nonverbal Behavior Women Increased emotional literacy Better at reading nonverbal cues Greater emotional responsiveness in + or - situations More empathy (self-reported) More likely to express emotion physically
Detecting and Computing Emotion Hard to fake some emotions Worry/distress lifting just the inner part of eyebrows Fear eyebrows pulled together Natural smile activated muscles under the eyes and raised cheeks
Culture and Emotional Expression Evolutionary Adaptive to enhance survival SAME - Facial expressions carry basically the same meanings across cultures Universal infant behavior Blind person s expressions DIFFERENT - Gesture meaning varies; intensity of display varies Thumbs-up, middle finger Display rules a culture s informal rules/norms about when/where/how to express emotions
The Effects of Facial Expressions Facial feedback hypothesis Making certain facial expressions can make you feel the conveyed emotion Behavior feedback hypothesis Moving your body as if you were experiencing an emotion can cause you to feel the emotion to some degree
Spot the Fake Smile! Spot the fake smile BBC 20 faces with 2-3 second videos Can only watch video once Genuine or fake? Gender differences? Other variables that influenced results? Term Girls Boys Spring 2013 20 18 Spring 2014 18 16 Fall 2014 3 rd 18 19
Emotion Biological Psychological Socio-cultural Physiological arousal Evolutionary adaptiveness Response pathways in the brain Spillover effect Cognitive labeling Gender differences Expressiveness Presence of others Cultural expectations Lie To Me importance and universality of facial expressions
Experienced Emotion An emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary. - Mark Twain
What Do Emotions Look Like? Emotionally Vague 35 countries 250 participants 6-75 yrs old Anger Joy Fear Sadness Love
How Many Emotions? Carroll Izard 10 basic emotions Possibly 2 more Joy Surprise Anger Contempt Shame Pride Interest/ Excitement Sadness Disgust Fear Guilt Love Two dimensions of emotion Arousal (high/low) Valence (pleasant/ unpleasant)
Fear Can be contagious and fatal Mobilizes fight/flight Evolutionary fear certain things that enhance survival Learned Conditioning (Little Albert) Observed (monkey experiment) Both learned and observed: Sandy Hook shooting
Fear Possibly biologically prepared to learn certain fears Amygdala Limbic system emotions Associates fear with certain situations Phobia an intense fear of objects or situations that disrupts the ability to cope Social, agoraphobia, specific
Anger Usually a response to an act by another person OR blameless annoyances (traffic, weather, etc) Can lead to aggression, prejudice, and illness. Western cultures encourage catharsis (emotional release) through aggression Venting (aggressive, verbal) Can actually lead to MORE anger (behavior feedback) Contradicts rage room, and The Purge How should we handle anger? Wait, let simmer. Find appropriate cathartic outlets (exercise, talking with friend, etc) Nonaccusatory statements ( I get irritated when you... )
Happiness Happier people Perceive the world as safer, make decisions easier, are more cooperative, and live healthier and more energized and satisfied lives Experience the feel-good-do-good phenomenon tendency to be more helpful when happy Determined by studying subjective well-being Self perceived happiness or satisfaction with life Used along side of objective well-being Money/wealth happiness
Evaluating Happiness Adaptation-level phenomenon The tendency to form judgments relative to a neutral level defined by previous experience The neutral point fluctuates during life. Relative deprivation The perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself.
Emotional Ups and Downs Positive emotions peak mid-day Negative emotions after waking, before sleeping Moods triggered by everyday events (good/bad) tend not the last beyond the day. Tend to rebound from bad days with better than average days Significant bad events can cause prolonged sadness, but we adapt and can return to average levels of happiness.
How to be Happier! Realize wealth happiness Set goals, manage your time wisely Act happy Exercise Sleep Seek work/leisure that engages your skills Form and value close relationships Do good feel good Be grateful Nurture your spiritual self
SYSK Does smiling make you happy? 1. What did Duchenne discover? 2. What is distinctive in detecting a genuine smile? 3. Why did Zajonc study the effects of smiling by using vowel sounds? (Hint: why couldn t he invoke smiles with funny jokes or simply asking participates to smile?) 4. What kind of effects did Zajonc find in the participants that produced the eee sound? 5. What suggestion did researchers propose for why the group that smiled AND looked in the mirror felt the more positive? 6. What is Zajonc s physiological hypothesis for why physiological expressions can induce emotions? 7. What effect does Botox have on the experience of emotions? Why? 8. Does a fake smile invoke positive emotions?