The Biology of Emotion

Chapter 13

• Emotion Defined as states of feelings that have the following components

– Cognitive (what we believe)– Physiological ( ANS arousal)– Behavioral (avoidance & attack

tendencies, etc.)

Brain M

echanisms

• Limbic System• Hemispheres

Limbic System

• The amygdala appears to have an important role in emotions

• Amygdala removal in animals produces lack of fear and rage responses

Hemispheres

• The right hemisphere is active during many displays of emotion

• Damage to the right hemisphere often leaves individuals emotionally indifferent and unable to read emotions

AutonomicNervousSystem

Autonomic

Nervous System

• The sympathetic nervous system releases acetylcholine that prepares the body for vigorous activity

• Examples include dilated pupils, increased respiration, and accelerated heartbeat

Theories of Emotion

Plutchik’s Theory of Em

otion

• 8 primary emotions; secondary emotions(like love) are derived from combinations of primary emotions

1. Joy2. Anticipation3. Anger4. Disgust5. Sadness6. Surprise7. Fear8. Acceptance

James-Lange

• Emotional stimulus causes physiological reaction

• Physiological reaction produces emotion– "We are afraid because we

run." – "We feel sorry because we

cry."

Cannon-Bard

• Thalamus relays emotional stimuli to cortex and internal organs simultaneously

• Emotional awareness and physiological changes occur at the same time

Cognition & Emotion Theory

Schacter & Singer

• How we think about events affects the experience of the emotion

• Physiological arousal is an undifferentiated state that we can be given any of a number of labels

• The labels we use to describe our emotions depend on our immediate environment and what is on our mind at that particular moment

Expressing Emotion

Facial Expressions Theory

Ekman

• Universal occurrence of facial

expressions of emotions

• Facial expressions amplify and regulate the emotion

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

• Stereotypical facial expressions can contribute to stereotypical emotions

(put on a happy face can really work… if you want to be happy!)

Culture &

Emotional

Expression

Expression

• The meaning of gestures varies with the emotion

• Display rules1.Cultural norms that tell us which

emotions we display2.Learned during childhood and act to

exaggerate, minimize, or mask emotional expressions

• Expression of emotions depend on the situation and who is present

Experiencing Emotion

7 Recognized Em

otions

• Anger• Disgust• Fear• Happiness• Sadness• Surprise• Contempt

(Matsumoto, 1994)

Anger

Causes of Anger • Annoyances

• Foul odors• Extreme temperatures• Aches and pains

Catharsis Hypothesis

• reduction of anger by release through aggressive actions

– Advantage: can be temporarily calming if it does not leave us feeling guilty or anxious

– Disadvantage: expressing anger leads to more anger

Appropriate Ways to Channel Anger

• Exercising• Playing music• Talking to a friend

Catharsis

• Evidence supports the opposite of catharsis - – an increase in aggression

Disgust

Fear

Fear

• Adaptive response preparing our bodies to flee danger

• Acquired through classical conditioning (i.e., those reflecting our past traumas)

• Acquired through observational learning (i.e., those reflecting fears of parents and friends)

• Biological predispositions (i.e., snakes, cliffs, spiders, not cars and electricity)

Happiness

Happiness

• The adaptation-level principle: – we adapt to levels of a stimulus and

need something even better to make us feel happy

• The relative-deprivation principle: – the sense that we are worse off

than others with whom we compare ourselves

Predictors of Happiness

• High self-esteem• Outgoing• Close relationships• Work that engages• Religious faith• Sleeping well• Exercise

Sadness

Surprise

Contempt