Emotions & Stress (Emotion)
Theories of Emotion
• James - Lange Theory
• Cannon - Bard Theory
• Two Factor Theory
James Lange Theory
• Body response
precedes emotion
Cannon - Bard Theory
• Body response and
emotion occur
simultaneously
Two Factor Theory
• Emotion =
body response
+ cognitive
interpretation
Theories of Emotion (Summary)
Cognition and emotion
• Robert Zajonc
(Zi-yence)
– We feel before we
think
– Emotions can
occur without
conscious thinking
Ingredients of Emotion
Measuring Emotions
The polygraph
• Measures changes in:
– Breathing
– Heart rate (Cardiovascular activity)
– Perspiration
• Nonverbal clues
– Facial muscles - the most unambiguous clue
– Other clues = hand gestures & body language
FMRI (Functional MRI)
• Specific parts of the brain light up when the
person is lying
Observational learning of
emotions
• Monkeys raised in the wild fear snakes
• Monkeys raised in the laboratory do not fear
snakes
– After observing parents and peers fear snakes,
younger monkeys developed a fear of snakes
Anger
• Perception of anger most common when a
person’s actions seemed:
– Willful
– Avoidable
– Unjustified
How can you handle anger?
• 1. Wait (simmer down)
• 2. Use a non-accusing statement of feeling
(“I” statement)
• 3. Avoid “You” statements
Happiness
• Our general happiness level is largely
unchanged by both very positive or very
negative events.
Does money create happiness?
• College students’ attitude toward money
Does money buy happiness?
What influences our happiness?
Adaptation - level phenomenon
• Our tendency to judge items (income,
grades, sounds, lights) relative to a
“neutral” (or accustomed) level based on
our prior experience.
– E.g. income
– temperature
– Grades
Relative deprivation
• We often feel happy or deprived (rich or
poor) relative to the people we compare
ourselves to.
– E.g. “Poor” in the U.S. is not poor in India
– E.g. 90% on an exam feels good until you learn
everyone else in the class had a score over 95%
What predicts happiness?
• High self-esteem
• Optimism
• Having a satisfying marriage or close
friends
• Being happy in work and leisure
• Religious faith
• Enough sleep and exercise.