Emotions

FALAK, GAUTAMI, TAMANNA

1
 How Are You
Feeling Today?

2
 Emotions are strong feelings
What are deriving from one's circumstances,
emotions? mood, or relationships with
others. Emotions are responses to
significant internal and external
events.
3
Anger Sadness
a strong feeling of It is emotional pain
displeasure or associated with, or
annoyance and characterized by, feelings
often of active of disadvantage, loss,
opposition to an despair, grief,
insult, injury, or helplessness,
injustice. disappointment and
sorrow.

4
Surprise Disgust
An example of It is a feeling of aversion
surprise is towards something. We
hiding behind a can feel disgusted by
corner and something we perceive
jumping out just with our physical
as someone senses, by the actions
walks past. or appearances of
people, and even by
ideas.

5
Fear
Fear alerts us to the presence of danger or the
threat of harm, whether that danger is
physical or psychological.

6
7
Nature of emotions

8
Eliciting Stimuli
Emotions occur as responses to certain objects, individuals or events which are called stimuli. These
stimuli can be both internal and external in nature.

Our internal biological factors help in determining which stimuli hold the potential to arouse emotional
responses. Newborn infants come equipped with the capacity to respond emotionally with either
interest or distress to events in their environment. Adults, too, may be biologically primed to experience
emotions
in response to certain stimuli that have evolutionary significance. A wide variety of aversive stimuli—
pain, heat and cold, foul
odors—can evoke anger and aggressive tendencies
toward people who had nothing to do with creating the discomfort.
Learning is another factor facilitating emotional responses which results in certain individuals or
situations acting as stimuli
Culture of an individual influences their emotional expression with certain expressions such as
9
looking in the eye being acceptable in one culture and unacceptable in another.
 Cognitive Component

1. Thoughts influence emotions: Our thoughts, interpretations, and memories can trigger
emotional responses.
2. Cognitive appraisals: We attach meanings to sensory stimuli, which can evoke emotions.
These appraisals can be conscious or unconscious.
3. Automatic and reasoning appraisals: Strong emotions are often triggered automatically,
followed by more reasoning-based appraisals.

Culture and Appraisal

1. Cross-cultural similarities: Research found similarities in appraisals that evoke emotions

like joy, fear, and anger across 27 countries.
2. Cultural differences: Despite similarities, cultural backgrounds can influence appraisals
and emotional reactions to specific situations.
10
Physiological Component
Brain and Emotions

1. Brain structures involved: Emotions involve the limbic system, cerebral cortex, and other brain areas.
2. Neurotransmitters: Chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine play a role in emotions.

Hemispheric Activation and Emotion

1. Left hemisphere: Associated with positive emotions like happiness.

2. Right hemisphere: Associated with negative emotions like sadness.
3. Individual differences: People's resting brain activity can predict their emotional tendencies.

Autonomic and Hormonal Processes

1. Fight-or-flight response: The body's automatic response to threats, involving the sympathetic nervous system and hormones like
epinephrine and cortisol.
2. Physiological effects: Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and energy levels.
3. Individual differences: People's physiological responses to emotions can vary. 11
Behavioral Component
Emotional Expression and Culture

1. Universal emotions: Certain emotions like happiness, sadness, and fear are universally expressed and recognized across cultures.
2. Cultural display rules: Cultures have different rules for expressing emotions, and people may express emotions differently depending on their cultural
background.
3. Facial expressions: Facial expressions can convey different emotions, but cultural background and context can influence how emotions are expressed and
interpreted.

Emotional Arousal and Performance

1. Optimal arousal level: Performance improves with increasing arousal up to a point, but beyond that point, performance declines.
2. Task complexity: The optimal arousal level depends on the complexity of the task, with simpler tasks requiring higher arousal levels for optimal
performance.
3. Emotional interference: High emotional arousal can interfere with performance on complex mental and physical tasks.

Instrumental Behaviors

1. Emotional responses: Emotional responses often require a response to the situation that aroused the emotion.
2. Coping mechanisms: People develop coping mechanisms to deal with emotions, such as anxiety or anger.
3. Goal-directed behavior: Emotional responses can motivate goal-directed behavior, such as seeking affection or avoiding danger.
12
 Theories
of
emotions

13
 James-Lange theory of Emotion
The James-Lange theory of emotion states that emotions arise as a result of
physiological arousal. When we encounter a stimulus, it creates a bodily
response, and our brain interprets this physical reaction as an emotion. So we
do not tremble because we are afraid, we are afraid because we tremble. The
physical response comes before the conscious experience of emotion.

14
William James (1884) and Carl Lange (1885) devised two physiological theories of emotion
independently. These theories had different emphases, and some scholars argue that the James-Lange
theory of emotion is a distortion of both scientists’ work.

James-Lange theory of emotion (the 1880s) proposed that bodily changes come first and form the basis
of an emotional experience. Thus, emotions are caused by bodily sensations (you become happier when
you smile. You are afraid because you run).

The James-Lange theory of emotion has spurned over a century of research into the physiology of
emotion, and notable critics of the James-Lange theory (such as the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion)
have also garnered tremendous traction from researchers.

This theory has been criticized as it cannot explain emotion without any arousal nor the role of learning
and cognition. It is also difficult to perceive different physiological states accurately (e.g., blood
pressure).

15
 Canon-Bard theory

Cannon-Bard Theory began with the work of Cannon. He identified several problems with James-Lange Theory
(Cannon, 1927; see prior section on strengths and weaknesses of James-Lange Theory). In his experiments on cats
and other animals, Cannon witnessed emotional responses even though the brain could no longer communicate with
the body.

These findings directly contradicted James-Lange, who suggested that information about physiological and behavior
changes was quickly sent to the brain for processing. Cannon’s thesis was that for several different discrete emotions,
animals and people show the same bodily changes. For example, when your heart is racing you may be experiencing
fear, anger, or joy. This means that the brain cannot use only our bodily change to identify the emotion label –
something else must tell us whether we are fearful, angry, or joyful.

16
 Together, Cannon and Bard conducted experiments to test their theory. Through their research, Cannon and
Bard concluded that the body is not required to experience an emotion. Thus, for Cannon and Bard, changes in
physiology, behavior, subjective feelings, and cognitive appraisal occur separately, but simultaneously. Separate
means the presence of each component does not influence the other components. So, an increase in heart rate
doesn’t influence our subjective feelings.

This contrasts with James-Lange who said both physiological and behavior changes determined our subjective
feelings. Simultaneous means after the eliciting event occurs, all four components change at the same time. Again,
this differs from James-Lange who suggested physiological and behavior changes occurred first, following by
quick cognitive appraisals, and then followed by subjective feelings and slow cognitive appraisals.

17
 Role of Autonomic feedback
Do we need feedback from our body's physical reactions to feel emotions?

Two Theories

1. James-Lange Theory: Says that our brain knows we're feeling an emotion because of feedback from our body's
physical reactions (like a racing heart).
2. Cannon-Bard Theory: Says that our brain gets signals directly from the thalamus (a part of the brain), and that's what
triggers emotions. No bodily feedback needed.

The Experiment

To test these theories, scientist Walter Cannon did an experiment where he cut the nerves that send feedback from the
body to the brain in animals. He found that even without this feedback, the animals still showed emotional responses.

What This Means

This suggests that our brain can trigger emotions without needing feedback from our body's physical reactions. It
supports the Cannon-Bard Theory.

Real-Life Examples

People who have spinal cord injuries and can't feel their body's physical reactions can still feel strong emotions. This 18
also
supports the idea that bodily feedback isn't necessary for emotions.
 The role of expressive behaviors

According to James-Lange somatic theory, not only the arousal feedback but also the
facial expressions an individual displays play an active role in sending messages to
the brain even in patients with damaged spinal cord who receive no information
from below their neck.
According to the facial feedback hypothesis, feedback from the facial muscles to the brain
plays a key role in determining Conscious emotion (fear) Autonomic arousal Conscious
emotion (fear) the nature and intensity of emotions that we experi ence, as the James-
Lange theory would suggest.

19
How it Works?

1. We see something (like a bear).

2. Our brain sends signals to our facial muscles to make an expression
(like fear).
3. Our facial muscles send signals back to our brain.
4. Our brain uses these signals to create the emotion we're feeling (like
fear).

20
 In support of the facial feedback hypothesis, research shows that feedback from facial muscle patterns can
arouse specific emotional reactions . In one study, Fritz Strack and coworkers (1988) found that when
participants held pens in their teeth, activating mus cles used in smiling , they rated themselves as feeling more
pleasant than when they held the pens with their lips, activating the muscles involved in frowning .
Participants also rated cartoons as funnier while holding pens in their teeth and activating the Two theories of
emotion. Two early theories of emotion continue to influence current-day theorizing. The James-Lange
theory holds that the experience of emotion is caused by somatic feedback and physiological arousal.
According to the Cannon-Bard theory, the thalamus receives sensory input and simultaneously stimulates
physiological responses and cognitive awareness.

21
 Cognitive affective theories
Cognitive affective theories explore how our cognitions and physiological responses interact with
each other.
According to Richard lazarus emotional responses require some type of appraisal whether we are
aware of it or not.
Schatchter proposed two factor theory of emotions where the intensity of
physiological arousal tells us how strongly we are feeling something, but situational cues give us
the information we need to label the arousal and tell ourselves what we are feeling.

If appraisal and arousal affect one another in the ways these theories suggest, then by manipu
lating appraisals we should be able to influence physiological arousal. Moreover, if we can manip
ulate arousal, we should be able to influence cog nitive appraisals of the situation.

22
Your feelings are valid.
You have every right
to feel whatever
you feel..

23
Functions of
Emotions

24
 Reference- Feldmans
'Understanding Psychology'

Functions of
Emotions

Preparing us Shaping our Helping us

for action future interact more
behaviour effectively
with others

25
Life would be considerably less satisfying and even
dull if we lacked the capacity to sense and express
emotion. Among the most important of those
functions are the following:

1) Preparing us for action. Emotions act as a link

between events in our environment and our
responses.

For example, if you saw an angry dog charging

toward you, your emotional reaction (fear) would
be associated with physiological arousal of the
sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous
system, the activation of the "fight-or-flight'
response
26
2) Shaping our future behavior. Emotions
promote learning that will help us make
appropriate responses in the future. For instance,
your emotional response to unpleasant events
teaches you to avoid similar circumstances in the
future.

3) Helping us interact more effectively with

others. We often communicate the emotions we
experience through our verbal and nonverbal
behaviors, making our emotions obvious to
observers. These behaviors can act as a signal to
observers, allowing them to understand better
what we are experiencing and to help them
predict our future behavior.
27
Emotions color life experiences and give those
experiences meaning and flavor. 1) Intrapersonal
2) Interpersonal
It is important to understand the function of 3) Social and cultural
emotions, which can be divided into three sections.
The first concerns the intrapersonal functions of
emotion, which refer to the role that emotions play
within each of us individually. The second concerns
the interpersonal functions of emotion, which refer
to the role emotions play between individuals within
a group. The third concerns the social and cultural
functions of emotion, which refer to the role that
emotions play in the maintenance of social order
within a society.

28
 Functions of Emotions
Intrapersonal Interpersonal Socio-Cultural
Emotions Help us Act
Emotional Expressions Development of worldviews
Quickly with Minimal
Facilitate Specific related to emotions
Conscious Awareness
Behaviors in Perceivers

Emotions Influence Cultures also inform

Thoughts Emotional Expressions us about what to do
Signal the Nature of with our emotions
Interpersonal
Emotions Prepare the Relationships
Body for Immediate
Action
Emotional Expressions
Provide Incentives for
Emotions Motivate Desired Social Behavior
Future Behaviors 29
 Intrapersonal Functions
1) Emotions Help us Act Quickly with Minimal Conscious Awareness
Emotions are rapid information-processing systems that help us act with minimal thinking
If we did not have emotions, we could not make rapid decisions concerning whether to
attack, defend or flee, all of which were functionally adaptive in our evolutionary history and
helped us to survive. Emotions evolved so that we can act without that depth of thinking.

2) Emotions Influence Thoughts

Emotions are also connected to thoughts and memories. Memories are not just facts that
are encoded in our brains; they are colored with the emotions felt at those times the facts
occurred. Thus, emotions serve as the neural glue that connects facts in our minds. That is
why it is easier to remember happy thoughts when happy. Emotions serve as the affective
basis of many attitudes, values, and beliefs that we have about the world and the people
around us; and emotions give those statements meaning. Emotions influence our thinking
processes, sometimes in constructive ways, sometimes not.
30
3) Emotions Prepare the Body for Immediate Action
Emotions prepare us for behavior. Emotions simultaneously activate certain systems and
deactivate others in order to prevent the chaos of competing systems operating at the
same time. For instance, when we are afraid, our bodies shut down temporarily unneeded
digestive processes, resulting in saliva reduction, preparing the body to flee.
One common misunderstanding about emotions is the belief that emotions must always
directly produce action. This is not true. Whether people actually engage in action is
dependent on factors, such as the context within which the emotion has occurred, the
target of the emotion, the perceived consequences of one’s actions.

4) Emotions Motivate Future Behaviors

Because emotions prepare our bodies for immediate action, influence thoughts, and can
be felt, they are important motivators of future behavior. Many of us strive to experience the
feelings of satisfaction, joy, pride, or triumph in our accomplishments and achievements
and we also work very hard to avoid strong negative feelings.

31
 Interpersonal Functions
1) Emotional Expressions Facilitate Specific Behaviors in Perceivers
Because facial expressions of emotion are universal social signals, they contain meaning
not only about the expressor’s psychological state but also about that person’s intent and
subsequent behavior. This information affects what the perceiver is likely to do. Also,
emotional displays evoke specific, complementary emotional responses from observers; for
example, anger evokes fear in others, whereas distress evokes sympathy and aid.

2) Emotional Expressions Signal the Nature of Interpersonal Relationships

Emotional expressions provide information about the nature of the relationships among
interactants. In a research on married couples, the couples visited a laboratory after having
not seen each other for 24 hours, and then engaged in intimate conversations about daily
events or issues of conflict. Discrete expressions of contempt, especially by the men, and
disgust, especially by the women, predicted later marital dissatisfaction and even divorce.

32
3) Emotional Expressions Provide Incentives for Desired Social Behavior
Facial expressions of emotion are important regulators of social interaction. An
investigation on it discusses the process whereby infants seek out information from others to
clarify a situation and then use that information to act. To date, the strongest demonstration
of social referencing comes from work on the visual cliff. In the first study to investigate this
concept, Campos and colleagues placed mothers on the far end of the “cliff” from the infant.
Mothers first smiled to the infants and placed a toy on top the safety glass to attract them;
infants invariably began crawling to their mothers. When the infants were in the center of the
table, however, the mother then posed an expression of fear, sadness, anger, interest, or joy.

The results were clearly different for the different faces; no infant crossed the table when the
mother showed fear; only 6% did when the mother posed anger, 33% crossed when the
mother posed sadness, and approximately 75% of the infants crossed when the mother
posed joy or interest.

33
 Socio-Cultural Functions
1) Development of worldviews related to emotions
Cultural transmission of the meaning and information system to its members is, therefore, a
crucial aspect of culture. One of the ways this transmission occurs is through the
development of worldviews related to emotions. Worldviews related to emotions provide
guidelines for desirable emotions that facilitate norms for regulating individual behaviors
and interpersonal relationships. The cultural transmission of information related to emotions
occurs in many ways, from childrearers to children, as books, movies, ads, etc.

2) Cultures also inform us about what to do with our emotions

that is, how to manage or modify them—when we experience them. One of the ways in which
this is done is through the management of our emotional expressions through cultural
display rules. These are rules that specify modification of our emotional expressions
according to social circumstances. Thus, we learn that “big boys don’t cry” or to laugh at the
boss’s jokes even though they’re not funny
34
35
CULTURE AND
EMOTIONS
Emotional expression is guided by cultural
beliefs, values, and rules about appropriate
expression.
Most basic emotions are believed to be innate
and do not require learning. Moreover,
emotions, especially facial expressions, have
strong biological underpinnings.
36
When we examine different cultures, we find that learning
significantly impacts emotional responses.
This influence occurs in two primary ways:

Cultural Expression Emotional Triggers

Cultural norms dictate how Learning also plays a crucial role in
emotions are expressed. for determining what triggers emotional
example- Some cultures encourage reactions. For instance, phobias like
open emotional expression, while fear of elevators or cars often develop
others teach individuals to suppress through observational learning,
or conceal their emotions in public classical conditioning, or avoidance
settings. This learned behavior behaviors. These learned associations
shapes how emotions are outwardly can lead to intense emotional
displayed responses to specific stimuli. 37
 Forms in which
emotions can vary
1. Display rules
the socially acceptable ways to express emotions, are learned through 3. Elaboration and Categorical Labels
socialization. For example, in Asian cultures, which prioritize collective
Indian tradition identifies eight such emotions: love,
harmony and interdependence, emotions like sympathy, respect, and shame
mirth, energy, wonder, anger, grief, disgust, and fear.
are more commonly expressed. This emphasis on group cohesion often leads
In Western literature, certain emotions like
to the suppression of negative emotions or those that might disrupt social
happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust are
harmony. Conversely, Western cultures tend to value individuality and
uniformly treated as basic to human beings.
personal expression. This cultural norm encourages the open display of
Emotions like surprise, contempt, shame, and guilt
emotions, often characterized by intense and prolonged emotional reactions.
are not universally accepted as basic to all.

2. Cultural Variations through Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal cues like facial expressions, gestures, and body language vary significantly across cultures. For
instance, a handclap might express worry in China, while silence could convey deep emotion in India. Gaze
behavior also differs. Latin Americans and Southern Europeans often maintain direct eye contact, whereas Asians,
like Indians and Pakistanis, may prefer a more peripheral gaze. Cultural norms also influence personal space
preferences. Americans typically prefer more distance during interactions, while Oriental Indians may feel more
comfortable with closer proximity. Touching behavior, too, is culturally specific. Arabs may feel alienated by the 38
distance maintained by North Americans, who view closer proximity as intrusive.
 INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
Lajja (shame) in the Indian context has a positive connotation. It means possessing the virtue of
behaving in a civilized manner. To experience lajja is to experience a sense of graceful submission and
virtuous, courteous well mannered self; infact, it is equated with “respectful restrain.”
According to Shweder et al. (2008), Lajja is viewed as the salient ideal of South Asia because it
is seen as helping preserve social harmony by helping women swallow their rage Lajja illustrates
the dependence of emotional experience on social and moral context.
The ethics of “autonomy,” “community,” and “divinity” and their importance across cultures
affect their experience and expression of emotions along with the cultural conceptualization of
emotion.
Menon and Shweder (1994) state that “Lajja will not felt in a culture that sees hierarchy and
exclusive prerogative of others as unjust than powerful object of others admiration and
respect.”
Schimmack, Oishi, and Diener (2002) found that Asian cultures see emotions differently than
Western cultures. In Asian cultures, people can feel happy and sad at the same time. This is
called a dialectical view of emotions. 39
 a t a m I feeling?
W h

The Rasa and Bhava theory of

Emotions:An Indigenous Perspective
The theory of Rasa and Bhav was propounded by sage Bharat in his
treatise entitled Natya Shastra. Rasa means to taste, to savor,It is a
pleasure which lasts only as long as the dramatic illusion that makes
“rasa” a reality (Because it is possible for the members of the
audience who witness a drama (the “rasik”)Rasa is the aesthetic flavor
or essence that is evoked in the audience when they witness the
performance. to experience enjoyment or pleasure) even from the
apprehension of negative emotional states (disgust, fear, anger,sorrow)
Bhava refers to the emotions or moods that are expressed by the
performers., which in other circumstances one might want to avoid or
repress, it is reasoned by Sage Abhinavagupta and others that “rasa”
40
must be an autonomous meta-emotion, a sui generis form of
 a t a m I feeling?
W h

DRAMA RASA BHAVA

Rasa and Bhava are interconnected concepts that form the foundation of
Indian aesthetics. Bhava represents the emotional expression of the
performer, while Rasa is the emotional response evoked in the audience. The
successful performance aims to elicit a specific Rasa in the audience through
the skillful portrayal of the relevant Bhavas. This interplay of emotions creates Anger Disgust Fear sorrow
a profound and lasting impact on the viewer, making Indian performing arts a
unique and powerful form of expression.

Major esthetic moods (rasa) Major (durable) emotions (bhavas)

Love (singara) Erotic feeling (rati)
The comic (hasya) Mirth (hasa)
Pathos (karuna) Sorrow (soka)
The furious (raudra) Anger (krodha)
The heroic (vira) Energy/mastery (utsaha)
Horror (bhayanaka) Fear (bhaya)
The odious (bibhatsa) Disgust (jugupsa)
The marvellous (adbhuta) Astonishment (vismaya)
 a t a m I feeling?
W h
In addition to the eight basic emotions, some scholars have posited Shant (Peace), Bhakti (devotion) and
Vatsalya (love for children) as emotions.

Sage Bharata has described 33 minor or relatively transient (vyabhicari) emotions: repose or withdrawal
(nirveda), debility or weakness (glani), doubt or apprehensiveness (sanka), jealousy (asuya), intoxication or
pride (mada), weariness (srama), indolence (alasya), depression (dainya), anxiety (cinta), infatuation (moha),
recollecting or turning things over in the mind (smriti), contentment (dhriti), shame (vrida), impulsiveness
(capalata), joy (harsa), agitation (avega), stupor (jadata), pride or arrogance (garva), despair (visada),
eagerness (autsukya), drowsiness (nidra), convulsions (apasmara), sleepiness (supta), awakening (vibodha),
indignation (amarsa), dissimulation or hiding under false appearance (avahittha), ferocity (ugrata),
thoughtfulness (mati), sickness (vyadhi), insanity (unmada), the “dying” experience (marana), fright
(trasa),and hesitation (vitarka).

Abhinavagupta is very specific and clear about the importance of the ability of works of art to separate
emotions from their common loci, namely the egos of particular persons at a particular time and place,
leading to particular consequences, experiential or behavioral.

the lure or threat of external factors leads to either pleasure or pain, satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the ego.
Pried away from that context, the feelings involved in the esthetic experience are neither directly pleasurable
nor threatening, and yet they strike a chord deep in the psyche of the esthete. They are enjoyable without
being either pleasurable or painful, such that even fear and disgust are “relished”.
 a t a m I feeling?
Wh
The experience of bhava or basic emotions takes place by a combination of emotions (sthayibhava),
transitory emotions (vyabhicaribhava), eliciting conditions (vibhava), consequences (anubhava), and
organic manifestations of emotions (sattvikabhava).

We attain to something of the capacity for variable but universal delight in the esthetic reception of
things as represented by Art and Poetry, so that we enjoy the rasa or the taste of the sorrowful, the
terrible, even the horrible or repellant; and the reason is because we are detached, disinterested, not
thinking of ourselves or of self-defence (jugupsa), but only of the thing and its essence.

Rasa invokes the experience of bliss that is said to result from arduous pursuit of self-realization. The
Sanskrit expression used to describe the relationship between joy of the art experience and the
supreme bliss of Brahman is “brahmananda Sahodara,” which literally means “born from the same
womb.”

It becomes possible through the process of communion which makes the person a competent
receptacle of art (Sahridaya). Through continuous appreciation of art the person identifies with the
object of art because his mind has been purified and made like a mirror. He is capable of having heart-
to-heart communion with the art. art puts the artist in communion with his own self. Rasa is
experiences as a revelation of the self.
The Rasa-Bhava theory emphasizes the importance of the performer's ability to convey emotions authentically and the audience's capacity to
empathize with those emotions. It is a complex and nuanced theory that has been influential in shaping Indian aesthetics for centuries
Relationship between
Emotions and
Motivation

44
 Emotions and motivation are closely intertwined, influencing each other in a complex
interplay that shapes our thoughts, behaviors, and overall well-being.
Emotions and motivation are closely intertwined, influencing each other in a complex
interplay that shapes our thoughts, behaviors, and overall well-being The relationship
between emotions and motivation is bidirectional and dynamic. They influence each
other in a continuous feedback loop. For example, feeling motivated to achieve a goal
can lead to positive emotions when we make progress, which in turn can further fuel
our motivation.

Understanding this intricate relationship between emotions and motivation can help us
harness their power to achieve our goals and improve our overall well-being. By
cultivating positive emotions, setting realistic goals, and developing effective coping
strategies, we can enhance our motivation and create a more fulfilling life.
45
End
46