Emotion Ch. 13 AP Psychology

Emotion Cross Cultural: Expressing Emotion results from 4 occurrence Facial expressions are universal Body language is culturally specific Expressing Emotion results from 4 occurrence You must interpret stimulus 2. Feeling 3. Physiological response (heart rate) 4. Display behavior

Experienced Emotion The ingredients of emotion

Theories of Emotion Does your heart pound because you are afraid? Or Are you afraid because you feel your heart pounding?

Theories of Emotion James-Lange Theory of Emotion. We feel emotion (fear) because of biological changes (Heart Rate - HR) caused by stress.

James-Lange Theory of Emotion Experience of emotion is awareness of physiological responses emotion-arousing stimuli Fear (emotion) Pounding heart (arousal) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus)

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion Say James-Lange theory is not true. How can that be true if similar physiological changes correspond with drastically different emotional states. The physiological change (HR) and cognitive awareness (fear) must occur simultaneously. They believed it was the thalamus that helped this happen.

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion Emotion-arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger: physiological responses subjective experience of emotion Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) Pounding heart (arousal) Fear (emotion)

Two-Factor Theory of Emotion Stanley Schachter explains emotions more completely than the other two theories. People who are already physiologically aroused experience more intense emotions than unaroused people when both groups are exposed to the same stimuli. Biology and Cognition interact with each other to increase the experience.

Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion Cognitive label “I’m afraid” Fear (emotion) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) Pounding heart (arousal) To experience emotion one must: be physically aroused cognitively label the arousal

Cognition and Emotion The brain’s shortcut for emotions p503

Emotion and Physiology Autonomic nervous system controls physiological arousal Sympathetic division (arousing) Pupils dilate Decreases Perspires Increases Accelerates Inhibits Secrete stress hormones Parasympathetic division (calming) Pupils contract Dries Slows Activates secretion of stress EYES SALIVATION SKIN RESPIRATION HEART DIGESTION ADRENAL GLANDS

Experienced Emotion Infants’ naturally occurring emotions p518

3 Major Emotions 3 major emotions ~Fear ~Anger ~Happiness

Experienced Emotion-Fear The Amygdala - a neural key to fear learning

Experienced Emotion-Anger Catharsis emotional release catharsis hypothesis “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges.

Experienced Emotion-Happiness We usually focus on the negative emotions  Experienced Emotion-Happiness Recent research focuses on subjective well-being principles Feelings of happiness or sense of satisfaction in life

Tapers off by the end of the day Experienced Emotion-Happiness Feel-good , do-good phenomenon people’s tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood Research shows – High in the morning Tapers off by the end of the day

Experienced Emotion-Happiness Adaptation level Phenomenon We judge stimuli relative to those we have previously experienced.

Experienced Emotion-Happiness Relative deprivation- the sense that we are worse off than others with whom we compare ourselves to

Happiness is... However, Happiness Seems Not Much Researchers Have Found That Happy People Tend to Have high self-esteem (in individualistic countries) Be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable Have close friendships or a satisfying marriage Have work and leisure that engage their skills Have a meaningful religious faith Sleep well and exercise However, Happiness Seems Not Much Related to Other Factors, Such as Age Gender (women are more often depressed, but also more often joyful) Education levels Parenthood (having children or not) Physical attractiveness

Experienced Emotion Does money buy happiness? pg.524 Average Year 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Average per-person after-tax income in 1995 dollars Percentage describing themselves as very happy $20,000 $19,000 $18,000 $17,000 $16,000 $15,000 $14,000 $13,000 $12,000 $11,000 $10,000 $9,000 $8,000 $7,000 $6,000 $5,000 $4,000 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Percentage very happy Personal income

Experienced Emotion Values and life satisfaction Importance scores Money Love 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 Life satisfaction 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 -0.2 -0.4 Importance scores

Two Routes to Emotion

Two Dimensions of Emotion Positive valence Negative High arousal Low pleasant relaxation joy sadness fear anger