Wealth and/or Happiness?
(Figure adapted from Myers & Diener, 1995, p. 13)
Emotions
• Seen in Western cultures as organized
psychological and physiological reactions
to changes in one’s relationship to the world
• These reactions are:
– Partly inner or subjective experiences
– Partly measurable patterns of behavior and
physiological arousal
1
Characteristics of Subjective
Experience of Emotion
• Is usually temporary
– Moods tend to last longer
• Is either positive or negative
• Triggered partly by mental assessment
of how a situation relates to one’s goal
• Alters thought processes, often by directing
attention toward some things and away
from others
Facial Expression of Emotion
• There is an evolutionary link between the
experience of emotion and facial expression of
emotion:
Characteristics of Subjective
Experience of Emotion (cont.)
• Elicits an action tendency, or motivation
to behave in certain ways
• Are passions that happen to you, usually
whether wanted to happen or not
– Some control can be exerted over emotions since
they depend partly on how one interprets situations
Ekman’s six basic emotions
shown in facial expression,
and a combination of two
– Facial expressions serve to inform others of our
emotional state
• Different facial expressions are associated with
different emotions
– Ekman’s research
• Facial expression can alter emotional
experience
– Engaging in different facial expressions can alter
heart rate and skin temperature
Source: Pinel, J., Biopsychology (3rd edition). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Copyright © 1997 by Pearson Education,
reprinted by permission.
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
2
Gender and Emotional
Expression
Taxonomy of Emotions
• How many basic emotional states?
– Between 5 and 9 basic states:
• Women
– experience more intense emotional states
– are better able to read emotional cues in others
– express emotions more intensely and openly than
do men
• Gender differences in emotional expression
may reflect differing socialization patterns
• The common 5 include anger, fear, happiness,
sadness, and disgust
• Additional emotional states include surprise,
contempt, shame, guilt, joy, and trust
• Emotional valence may be related to
activity in the nervous system:
– Positive: activity of dopamine systems
– Negative: activity of norepinephrine systems
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Taxonomy of Emotion
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Objectively Measurable Aspects
of Emotion
• Expressive displays which communicate
feelings to others
• Physiological responses that provide
biological adjustments needed to perform
actions created by the emotional experience
(Figure adapted from Fischer et al., 1990, p. 90)
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
3
Three Basic Features of the Brain’s
Control of Emotions
The trajectory of the iron bar
through Phineas Gage’s head
• Activity in the limbic system, especially
in amygdala, is central to various aspects
of emotion
• The brain has control over emotional and
nonemotional facial expressions
• The two cerebral hemispheres contribute
differently to the perception, experience,
and expression of emotion
– Right hemisphere appears to be relatively
dominant in emotion
Figure 11.9
Brain Regions Involved in Emotion
Source: Damasio, H., Grabowski, T., Frank, R., Galaburda, A.M. and Damasio, A.R., The return of Phineas Gage: Clues
about the brain from a famous patient. Science, 1994, 246: 1102–1105. Department of Neurology and Image Analysis
Facility, University of Iowa.
Neuropsychology of Emotion
• Dual processing of
emotions:
– Activation of the
amygdala produces
visceral responses
– Cortical activation
allows for use of
memory in
understanding
emotional stimuli
(Figure adapted from LeDoux, 1995)
4
Other Neurobiological Theories
Figure 11.11
The Autonomic Nervous System
Amygdala in position to “short
circuit” sophisticated (but slow)
neocortex
James’ Peripheral Theory of Emotion
Figure 11.12
Components of Emotion
Saul Kassin, Psychology. Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reprinted by permission.
Sometimes called the James-Lange theory of emotion
5
Figure 11.13 Patterns of Physiological
Change Associated with Different Emotions
Lie Detection
• James’ peripheral theory forms the basis
for the lie detection industry
– Specific patterns of physiological activity should
accompany the anxiety or guilt associated with lying
• Types of lie detection tests:
From "Voluntary Facial
Action Generates
Emotion-Specific
Autonomic Nervous
System Activity," by R.W.
Levenson, P. Ekman,
and W.V. Friesen,
Psychophysiology, 1990,
24, 363-384, © 1990.
Reprinted with
permission from
Cambridge University
Press.
Cannon’s Central Theory
– The control question test
– The directed lie test
– The guilty knowledge test
Cognitive Theories:
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
Saul Kassin, Psychology. Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reprinted by permission.
Also known as the Cannon-Bard Theory
Saul Kassin, Psychology. Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reprinted by permission.
6
Other Cognitive Theories
• Other theorists have argued that what is
important is the cognitive interpretation
of events themselves, not of our bodily
responses to those events
Other Neurobiological Theories
• LeDoux’s “Amygdala short-circuit”
theory
• Davidson’s Approach-Avoidance
Hemispheric Specialization Theory
• Lazarus’s cognitive appraisal theory
Figure 11.14
Elements of Ceremonial
Facial Masks
That Convey Threat
Social and Cultural Influences
on Emotional Expression
• There is a certain degree of cultural variations
in recognizing some emotions
– Variations in the ways that cultures interpret
emotions expressed by tone of voice
• People learn to express certain emotions
in ways specified by cultural rules
• Smiles can vary as people learn to use them
to communicate certain feelings
7
Stress
Modern Views of Stress
• Stress: A state that impairs our ability to
respond to internal and external demands
– Stress is a psychobiological process
– Stress reflects the interaction of the person
with their environment
• Stress responses are organized in stages
– Alarm: release of adrenaline and activation
of the autonomic nervous system
– Resistance: all systems return to normal
– Exhaustion: systems begin to fail
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
– Primary appraisal: person evaluates situations as
benign or stressful
– Secondary appraisal: person decides how to deal with
stress
• Lazarus identifies three types of stress:
– Loss: person loses a loved one or a possession
– Threat: anticipated harm
– Challenge: opportunity for growth (new job)
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Holmes-Rahe Life Events
Scale
Rank
• Richard Lazarus: stress is a transaction between
a person and their environment
Life Event
Relative Death Risk: After the
Death of a Spouse
Mean Value
1
2
Death of Spouse
Divorce
8
Fired at work
47
12
Pregnancy
40
20
Mortgage over $10,000 (1964)
31
25
Outstanding personal achievement
28
Cause of Death
100
73
Cancer
Chronic Alcohol- Motor
Other
Heart
Related Vehicle Accidnts./
All
Disease Illness Accidents Viol. Suicide Causes
Men
1.31
2.08
3.98
1.52
3.05
3.02
1.66
Women
1.04
1.71
2.91
1.52
2.45
2.30
1.25
(Table adapted from Martikainen and Valkenen, 1996)
(Table adapted from Holmes & Rahe, 1967)
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
8
Top Ten Common Hassles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Concerns about weight
Health of a family member
Rising prices of common goods
Home maintenance
Too many things to do
Misplacing or losing things
Yard work
Property, investments, or taxes
Crime
Physical appearance
Stress and Health
(Figure adapted from Cohen & Williamson, 1991, p.8)
(Figure adapted from Kanner et al., 1981, p. 14)
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Coping Mechanisms
• Problem-focused: Person attempts to change
the situation
– Try to remove the stressor
– Plan ways of resolving the situation
– Seek advice from others on how to change the
situation
• Emotion-focused:
– Thought alteration: reframe the situation to make it
less threatening
– Alter emotions by exercise or drug use
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Social Support and Stress
• Other persons can provide social support:
– Two-way communication in which a person can
confide their concerns and receive support from
others
• Low social support decreases life span
• Social support may work by
– Buffering person against the harmful effects of stress
– Social support is a positive force that reduces
susceptibility to stress
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
9
Neurochemistry
10
11