Emotion

Chapter 11
Emotion
Defining Emotion
Elements of Emotion 1: The Body
Elements of Emotion 2: The Mind
Elements of Emotion 3: The Culture
Putting the Elements together: Emotion and
Gender

Emotion
A state of arousal involving facial and body
changes, brain activation, cognitive
appraisals, subjective feelings, and
tendencies toward action, all shaped by
cultural rules.
Elements of Emotion 1: The Body
Primary and secondary emotions
The face of emotion
The brain and emotion
Hormones and emotion
Detecting emotions: Does the body lie?

Elements of Emotion 1: The Body
Primary emotions
Emotions considered to be universal and biologically
based. They generally include fear, anger, sadness,
joy, surprise, disgust, and contempt.
Secondary emotion
Emotions that develop with cognitive maturity and
vary across individuals and cultures.
Three biological areas of emotion are
facial expressions,
brain regions and circuits, and
autonomic nervous system.

Universal Expressions of Emotion
Facial expressions for primary emotions are
universal.
Even members of remote cultures can recognize
facial expressions in people who are foreign to
them.
Facial feedback
Process by which the facial muscles send messages to
the brain about the basic emotion being expressed.
Infants are able to read parental expressions.
Facial expression can generate same expressions in
others, creating mood contagion.
The Face of Anger
Anger is universally
recognized by
geometric patterns on
the face.
In each pair, the left
form seems angrier
than the right form.
Facial Expressions in Social Context
Across and within cultures, agreement often
varies on which emotion a particular facial
expression is revealing.
People dont usually express their emotion in
facial expressions unless others are around.
Facial expressions convey different meanings
depending on their circumstances.
People often use facial expressions to lie about
their feelings as well as to express them.
The Brain and Emotion
The amygdala
Responsible for assessing threat.
Damage to the amygdala results in abnormality to
process fear.
Left prefrontal cortex
Involved in motivation to approach others.
Damage to this area results in loss of joy.
Right prefrontal cortex
Involved in withdrawal and escape.
Damage to the area results in excessive mania and
euphoria.
Hormones and Emotion
When experiencing an intense emotion, 2
hormones are released.
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Results in increased alertness and arousal.
At high levels, it can create the sensation of
being out of control emotionally.
The Autonomic Nervous System
Detecting Emotions: Does the Body Lie?
Polygraph testing
relies on autonomic
nervous system arousal.
Typical measures:
Galvanic Skin Response
Pulse, blood pressure
Breathing
Fidgeting
Polygraph Tests
Empirical support is weak
and conflicting.
Test is inadmissible in most
courts.
It is illegal to use for most
job screening.
Many government agencies
continue to use for
screening.
Elements of Emotion 2: The Mind
How thoughts create emotions
The two factor theory of emotion.
Attributions and emotions.
Cognitions and emotional complexity
Two-factor Theory of Emotion
Physiological arousal
Sweaty palms
Increased heart rate
rapid breathing
Cognitive Label
Attribute source of
arousal to a cause
To have an emotion,
both factors are
required
Attributions and Emotions
Perceptions and attributions are involved in
emotions.
How one reacts to an event depends on
how he or she explains it.
For example, how one reacts to being ignored
or winning the silver instead of the gold
medal.
Philosophy of life is also influential.
Cognitions and Emotional
Complexity
Cognitions, and therefore, emotions,
become more complex as a childs cerebral
cortex matures.
Self-conscious emotions, such as shame and
guilt, do not occur until after infancy, due to
the emergence of a sense of self and others.
People can learn how their thinking affects
their emotions and can change their
thinking accordingly.
Elements of Emotion 3: The
Culture
Culture and emotional variation
The rules of emotional regulation
Display rules
Body language
Emotion work
Culture and Emotional Variation
Culture determines what people feel angry, sad,
lonely, happy, ashamed or disgusted about.
Some cultures have words for specific emotions
unknown to other cultures.
Ex. Schadenfreude
Some cultures dont have words for emotions that
seem universal to others.
Tahitian and sadness
Differences in secondary emotions appear to be
reflected in differences in languages.
The Rules of Emotional Regulation
Display Rules
When, where, and how emotions are to be expressed
or when they should be squelched.
Body Language
The nonverbal signals of body movement, posture
and gaze that people constantly express.
Emotion Work
Acting out an emotion we do not feel or trying to
create the right emotion for the occasion.
Putting it all together: Emotion
and Gender
Physiology and intensity
Sensitivity to other peoples emotions
Cognitions
Expressiveness
Factors which affect expressiveness
Emotion work


Putting the Elements Together:
Emotion and Gender
Physiology and intensity
Women recall emotional events more
intensely and vividly than do men.
Men experience emotional events more
intensely than do women.
Conflict is physiologically more upsetting for
men than women.
Possible reasons for differences
in physiology and intensity.
Males autonomic nervous system is more reactive
than females.
Men are more likely to rehearse angry thoughts
which maintains anger.
Women are more likely to ruminate which
maintains depression.

Sensitivity to Other Peoples Emotions
Factors which influence ones ability to
read emotional signals:
The sex of the sender and receiver.
How well the sender and receiver know each
other.
How expressive the sender is.
Who has the power.
Stereotypes and expectations.
Cognitions
Men and women appear to differ in the
types of every day events that provoke their
anger.
Women become angry over issues related
to their partners disregard.
Men become angry over damage to
property or problems with strangers.
Expressiveness
In North America women:
Smile more than men.
Gaze at listeners more.
Have more emotionally expressive faces.
Use more expressive body movements.
Touch others more.
Acknowledge weakness and emotions more.
Compared to women, men only express
anger to strangers more.
Factors Influencing Emotional
Expressiveness
Gender roles
Cultural norms
The specific situation
Emotion Work and Gender
Women work hard at appearing warm,
happy and making sure others are happy.
Men work hard at persuading others they
are stern, aggressive and unemotional.
Why?
Gender roles and status.