Wade/Tavris, (c) 2006, Prentice Hall

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.

Wade/Tavris, (c) 2006, Prentice Hall

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.

Wade/Tavris, (c) 2006, Prentice Hall

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.

Wade/Tavris, (c) 2006, Prentice Hall

Facial Expressions in Social Context

• Across and within cultures, agreement often varies on which emotion a particular facial expression is revealing.

• People don’t 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.

Wade/Tavris, (c) 2006, Prentice Hall

The Brain and Emotion

• The amygdala.– Responsible for

assessing threat.

– Damage to the amygdala results in abnormality to process fear.

Wade/Tavris, (c) 2006, Prentice Hall

The Brain and Emotion• 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.

Wade/Tavris, (c) 2006, Prentice Hall

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.