FEHR AND
RUSSELL - 1984 -
everyone knows
what an emotion is
until asked to give
a definition
EMOTIONs are mostly out of
our control even though we
may feel them consciously.
EMOTIONS provide a feedback
system. Emotions are a
CONSCIOUS EVALUATIVE
reaction to some EVENT.
reaction to something.
MOOD is a feeling
state that is not clearly
linked to some event
AFFECT - the automatic
response that something is
GOOD or BAD
EMOTIONAL AROUSAL -
emotions have both
mental and physical
aspects.
JAMES-LANGE
THEORY - 1890
bodily processes
come first and then
the mind's
perception (the
emotion) comes
after. arousal
before emotion
unsuccessful to
prove this is the
case.
The James-Lange
theory inspired the
FACIAL FEEDBACK
HYPOTHESIS
FACIAL FEEDBACK is
that feedback from the
face muscles evokes or
magnifies emotions.
STRACK ET AL - 1988
- holding a pen with lips
(frown) or teeth (smile),
holding with teeth will
find cartoon funnier
CANNON-BARD
THEORY OF
EMOTION
the THALAMUS (relay
station) sends two
messages at a time,
one is the emotional
experience, one is
physiological arousal.
emotion and arousal
at the same time
SCHACHTER-SINGER
THEORY
emotion has two components,
physiological arousal is similar
in all emotions. HOWEVER the
cognitive label is different for
each emotion. emotion is like
TV, the AROUSAL is the on / off
switch and volume control (it
determines there will be an
emotion and how strong). the
COGNITIVE LABEL label is like
the channel switch (which
emotion)
MISATTRIBUTION OF
AROUSAL
arousal may arise for
one reason but get
another label, therefore
producing a different
reaction.
EXCITATION
TRANSFER -
arousal from one
event can transfer
to a later event.
SCHACHTER AND
SINGER - 1962 -
effects of vitamin
injection on visual
skills. all thought
they received a
vitamin, however
half received
adrenaline, half got
a placebo. the
adrenaline condition
were either told or
not told about side
effects such as
trembling etc. the
strongest emotional
response were those
in the adrenaline
condition but not told
of side effects as if
told of side effects
they attributed
emotion to injection
not to the situation.
DUTTON AND ARON - 1974 - the bridge study -
men either cross a rickety high bridge or a stable
low bridge. the high bridge has many ways of
arousal, such as risk of falling. a female at the
end of both bridges gave her number to explain
the study more. FOUND that men who crossed
the high bridge were more likely to call the woman.
SAID it was down to the high bridge creating an
arousal state of fear which CONVERTED
FEAR-BASED AROUSAL INTO ATTRACTION
two basic arousal
states that feel
different, pleasant
and unpleasant.
MARSHALL AND
ZIMBARDO - 1979 -
emotional arousal
comes from actual
events, generated in the
body from experience
rather than chemically
induced and are already
good or bad. good
cannot be converted
into bad or vice versa.
IMPORTANT
EMOTIONS
HAPPINESS
story of man in a siberian
prison camp no family,
numb, hungry, freezing, but
described it as an "almost
happy day". the power of
comparisons and
expectations. expect the
worst then anything slightly
better can seem good by
contrast.
DEFINING
HAPPINESS -
simply feeling good
right now. or when
you eat something
or when you go
from cold to warm.
one measure of affect
balance is the
FREQUENCY OF
POSITIVE EMOTIONS
MINUS FREQ OF
NEGATIVE ones.
most complex form
of happiness is LIFE
SATISFACTION,
evaluating life
generally and
comparing to a
standard. broader
span than current
emotion.
OBJECTIVE ROOTS
OF HAPPINESS
money, house etc. objective
predictors, people who have
them are happier than those
without. objective predictors
involve succeeding by
biological and cultural
standards.
however couples with
children are LESS happy, but
will say they are happier as
those with social connections
are happier than those alone -
BAUMEISTER - 1991 - having
children does make life richer
and more meaningful. most
cultures glorify parenthood so
cultures can flourish.
people who have more money are
happier but only by a very small
difference. happiness is liked to
interpersonal relationships. it's hard
for people to be happy alone.
HEDONISTIC
TREADMILL - objective
changes wear off. take big
steps forward but end up
in the same place. -
DIENER ET AL - 2006 -
people don't end up in the
same place, happy people
go back to being happy,
same for sad. LOTTERY
TICKET vs. ACCIDENT -
effects wear off, people
get over good effects
quicker than bad - LUCAS
- 2007
SUBJECTIVE
ROOTS OF
HAPPINESS
HAPPINESS is
in one's outlook,
personality and
genes rather than
circumstances.
some people are
born happy,
others are not.
COSTA ET AL -
1987 - best
predictor of
happiness is
happiness 10
years
before.subjective
predictors are
much stronger
INCREASE HAPPINESS -
BROWN AND RYAN - 2003 -
through forgiving others,
gratitude for blessings, religion,
optimism. happiness linked to
good health. focus attention on
positive things. live longer if
express positive emotions.
happiness is linked to good
social relations.
ANGER
emotional response to real or imagined threat.
anger is internal, whereas aggression is external.
angry people downplay risks and overlook
dangers. anger is a high arousal, unpleasant
emotion. angry people are impulsive and fail to
consider consequences of actions. angry people
make stupid decisions - LEITH AND
BAUMEISTER - 1996.
LERNER ET AL -
2003 - anger is a
powerful force for
making people stand
up for themselves as
is energizing. cultures
have different norms
about anger.
social
benefits of
anger, as
makes one
person back
down.
CAUSES OF ANGER - many
people hide anger, anger
seems maladaptive, anger
must have some positive
value, helps survival. anger is
adaptive as it motivates the
person to act aggressively.
anger helps reduce
aggression, warn friends and
family that aggression may
be coming.
societies promote the idea
of never showing anger.
people repress anger.
long-term concealed anger
is destructive - ELLIS -
1977. if people act as if
they aren't angry some
anger will diminish.
second idea is
VENT one's anger,
CATHARSIS
THEORY -
expressing anger
produces a healthy
release of emotion.
one variation on
venting is PHYSICAL
EXERCISE.
BUSHMAN - 2002 -
exercise doesn't work
as increases rather
than decreases
arousal. provoke after
exercising, excitation
transfer may occur.
BARON - 1976 -
need to decrease
arousal to get rid of
anger, such as
playing with animals,
sex etc as not
compatible with anger.
GUILT AND SHAME
MORAL emotion, feeling bad. guilt
focuses on action that is bad. guilt
motivates people to do good acts, not
do it again. more likely to learn a
lesson and try to be better in future.
MCMILLEN AND AUSTIN -
1971 - not being induced to
lie motivated people to help
for two minutes, whereas if
lied to experimenter they
volunteered to help for 63
mins. wipe away guilt by
helping.
GUILT IS CONSTRUCTIVE,
SHAME IS DESTRUCTIVE.
CIALDINI et
al - 1973 -
people
behave in
more socially
desirable
ways when
guilty. good
for
relationships.
SURVIVOR GUILT - people feel
guilty when others have suffered
more than they have. WW2, being
fired etc. people are deeply
sensitive to unfairness.
guilt is more
linked to
interpersonal
relationships than
any other emotion.
people actively try
and make others
feel guilt.
WHY DO
WE HAVE
EMOTIONS
POWERFUL and
important feedback,
promotes belongingness,
rarely causes behaviour
directly. guides thinking
and learning
good emotions reinforce good
behaviours. ANTICIPATED
EMOTION GUIDES DECISIONS
AND CHOICES, avoid acts that
will make them feel sad, angry
etc. avoid acts that might lead to
guilt. weigh up how you would feel
in different scenarios.
AFFECTIVE FORECASTING -
predict emotional state to future
events.
people
overestimate the
time and
intensity of
future emotions.
DAMASIO - people who
lack emotions have
trouble in life. emotion
tells us good or bad.
don't have emotion over
things you don't care
about.
emotions help people get
on better, people's
emotions promote ties to
others. forming social
bonds linked to positive
emotions - ANDERSON
ET AL - 1983.
bad emotions linked
to events that end.
social rejection leads
to sadness. partner
leaving threat is
jealousy. people
want to feel good
and avoid bad
emotions, desire
impels them to try
and form good
relationships.
emotions guide behaviour, get ready
for action. HOWEVER, emotion may
be too slow to guide behaviour, may
guide automatic behaviour, in a fraction
of a second tel if something is good or
bad. emotions rarely cause behaviour
directly. nature says go and culture
says stop. when emotion causes
bhevaiour it is because the person
wants to change or escape the
emotional state.
emotions guide thinking
and learning. people who
lack emotions are not
better off. great difficulty
making decisions.
emotions help people
learn from their mistakes,
without emotions, can't
learn - DAMASIO - 1997
BENEFITS OF
POSITIVE EMOTIONS
- creativity, expand
attention, helps
problem solving, fewer
distortions, try harder,
more motivated etc...
being in a good mood
serves protective
function. they are
studied less than
negative however.
anxiety motivates people
to plan ahead and avoid
unnecessary risks -
BARLOW - 1988.
RISK-AS-FEELING
HYPOTHESIS - how severe
the worst outcome is and
how likely is it to happen.
gut level. sexual arousal
interferes with decision
making - BLANTON - 1997
AFFECT-AS-INFORMATION
HYPOTHESIS - people
judge emotions by asking
themselves "how do I feel
about it?"
CROSS-CULTURAL
experts agree emotion is
similar across cultures.
EKMAN - six basic
emotions - anger,
sadness, disgust,
surprise, happiness and
fear. people in different
cultures identify these
emotions.
RUSSELL - 1994 - criticises
EKMAN saying that people find
it harder to recognise
spontaneous emotions cross
culturally rather than posed
pictures.
Asian Americans place more emphasis
on emotional moderation than European
americans. DUCHENNE SMILES - fake
smiles when lost a race etc.
COLLECTIVIST cultural emotion based
on assessment of social worth.
CULTURAL difference in
CONCEALMENT OF EMOTION.
GENDER
DIFFERENCES
long-standing stereotype that
women are more emotional than
men. LARSON AND PLECK - 1999 -
found through pps self-report that
men and women were equal. men
report more negative emotions at
work than women. daily emotional
experience essentially the same.
in young children, more
emotion in boys. men may be
slightly more emotional but
women are more willing to
report emotions. cultural
standards about men not
"allowed" to be emotional.
HILL ET AL - 1976 -
men fall in love faster,
women fall out of love
faster, men have more
experience of
unreciprocated love.
men suffer more after
a break up.
AROUSAL,
ATTENTION AND
PERFORMANCE
emotions contain arousal,
many people believe
emotional arousal is
harmful, better to calm
down.
YERKES-
DODSON LAW -
some arousal is
good for
performance, too
much arousal can
hurt performance.
EASTERBROOK - 1959
- arousal helps narrow
and focus attention.
stress helps people
narrow attention which is
only good up to a point.
too focused, can miss
vital information.
EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE - EQ -
ability to perceive
emotions, facilitating
thought, to understand,
to regulate emotions
etc, intellectual growth.
people high on emotional
intelligence are better at
AFFECTIVE
FORECASTING,
emotional intelligence
may lead to success.
AFFECT
REGULATION
if people are poor at
controlling their emotional
reactions, they are more
likely to fall ill to mental
illness - BRADLEY - 1990.
people seek to control their
desires, actions, thoughts
etc... emotions cannot be
directly controlled.
THAYER ET AL - 1994 - do
things to produce good
feelings. doing something to
take their mind off the
problem, raise or lower
arousal level (caffeine,
exercise) and seek social
support. reframe the
problem, use humour, vent
feelings, religious activities.
affect regulation for both positive and
negative emotions. 1. get into the mood.
2. get out of the mood. 3. prolong the
mood. before social interactions tend to
neutralise the mood.
GENDER
DIFFERENCES - when
distressed women think
about the problem, men
tend to distract
themselves. when
feeling bad, women eat,
men take drugs /
alcohol, men use
humour, women shop