1. Emotion

2. Emotions- complex pattern of changes including physiological, cognitive, and behavioral reactions, in response to a situation

3. Questions… 1. Q- Are some emotional responses innate? A- YES- fear & struggling 2. Q- Are emotional expressions universal? A- Ekman- all people share overlap in facial language, esp for happiness, surprise, anger, disgust, fear, sadness & contempt *not all expressions are universal & not all cultures express all emotions the same way

4. Questions… 3. Q- How does culture affect emotional expression? A- Cultures est. rules for when people show certain emotions - might be based on class in society (Africa) - hiring professional criers for funerals (Med. and Near Eastern cultures) - different for individualistic and collectivist cultures

5. Physiology of Emotion What’s involved in emotion? 1.Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)- releases hormones, raises blood pressure and blood sugar, increase in sweat and salivation - research shows that different emotions show different patterns of autonomic activity

6. Physiology of Emotion 2. Central Nervous System (CNS)- hypothalamus & limbic system - amygdala- attaches significance to information it receives from the senses  important in fear and anger - cortex- PET scans show areas of happiness & sadness in different parts of the cortex

7. 3 Theories of Emotion 1. James-Lange Theory: emotion comes from bodily feedback; perceiving a stimulus causes autonomic arousal leading to the experience of a specific emotion -stimulus  arousal  emotion

8. 3 Theories of Emotion 2. Cannon-Bard Theory: emotion stimulus produces 2 concurrent reactions, arousal & experience of emotion at the same time -The 2 reactions are independent of one another; one does not cause the other -stimulus  arousal & emotion

9. 3 Theories of Emotion 3. Cognitive Appraisal Theory (aka Schachter-Singer Theory)- emotion is the joint effect of physiological arousal to discover what you are feeling, what emotion fits best, and what your reaction means in the particular setting -stimulus  arousal  label/appraisal  emotion

10. Why do we have emotions? A. They serve as a motivation function by arousing you to take action with regard to an event -They also direct & sustain your behaviors toward specific goals -If you have too much arousal or too little, it will impair your performance

11. Why do we have emotions? - Some tasks are better with high levels of arousal; other tasks are better with low level, key is task difficulty  Yerkes-Dodson Law- performance of difficult tasks decreases as arousal increases, whereas performance of easy tasks increases as arousal increases

12. Why do we have emotions? B. They regulate social interactions binding us to some, and repelling us from others - ex- you back off when someone shows anger, or draw close to someone when they are crying

13. Why do we have emotions? C. They influence the way you perceive yourself & others and the way you interpret & remember life - emotional states can affect learning, memory, social judgments & creativity - ex- good mood = better creativity and problem solving

14. Why do we have emotions? - research is being conducted on memory & emotion  we tend to remember events more clearly when they are tied to emotion

15. Stress Stress- pattern of responses an organism makes to events that disturb its equilibrium and strain or exceed its ability to cope

16. Stressed? List stressors you are currently dealing with Is each stressor chronic or acute Rank your stressors in order from most stressful to least stressful How do you tend to cope with stress?

17. Reactions to Stress Major life changes are the root of stress for many people - 1960’s: Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) - what do you think are the most stressful events?

18. Stress Stressor- internal or external event that induces stress; 2 types: 1. Acute- transient with clear onset and offset patterns 2. Chronic- continuous conditions in society and environment; demands are greater than resources available for dealing with them

19. Reactions to Stress Physiological Reactions: - fight-or-flight is a response to acute stress (involves hypothalamus  pituitary  stress hormones  more nrg available)

20. Reactions to Stress - Women tend to use tend-and-befriend where the stressor prompts females to protect offspring & join social groups to reduce vulnerability -Both do not always fit with contemporary society -All stressors call for adaptation  an organism must regain homeostasis

21. Reactions to Stress Response to stressors is General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)- proven valuable to explain psychosomatic disorders Stages: 1.Alarm Reaction- brief periods of bodily arousal that prepare the body for vigorous activity

22. Reactions to Stress 2. Resistance (if stress continues)- a state of moderate arousal; organism can endure & resist further debilitating effects of prolonged stress - if the stressor is long- lasting/intense, body’s resources become depleted & it enters Stage 3

23. Reactions to Stress 3. Exhaustion- can effect the immune system

24. Reactions to Stress Catastrophic and traumatic events can lead to PTSD- anxiety disorder, characterized by re- experience of the traumatic event through memories, dreams & flashbacks

25. Reactions to Stress Chronic stressors- endure over time - ex- conditions in society, environment, overpopulation, crime, economic conditions, terrorism - frustration, conflict, pressure, & significant changes in your life

26. Reactions to Stress How do chronic stressors affect you? health problems, intellectual development daily hassles- more frequent and intense hassles are  the poorer your health

27. Reactions to Stress - as daily hassles decrease, well- being increases, but you need to also consider positive events in your life as well