Notes on Emotion

1. The James-Lange theory states that emotions originate in the peripheral nervous system, which then gets interpreted by the central nervous system. The Cannon-Bard theory however says that emotion-inducing stimuli simultaneously elicit both an emotional experience and bodily responses.
2. Emotional disclosure has been found to increase the overall health who frequently discuss (talk about) or write about stressful or unpleasant events.
3. Facial expressions have the ability to influence a person's emotional state.
4. There are six facial expressions that are recognised by people of most cultures. These are:
   (a). Surprise
   (b). Fear
   (c). Anger
   (d). Disgust
   (e). Happiness
   (f). Sadness
5. Display rules are controlled expression of emotions by individuals that are considered appropriate for that culture.
6. There is a difference in how men and women experience and express emotion. Where women are more likely to feel emotions more intensely and to be able to read the emotions of others, males do not show this strength of empathy. Although the exact reasons are unknown, from an evolutionary perspective gender roles may have played a part in this emotional expression.
7. Positive affect (pleasant emotions) drives pleasure-seeking, approach-oriented behaviour, whereas negative affects (unpleasant emotions) leads to avoidance-oriented behaviour.
8. A hierarchical system for classifying emotions are: Positive and negative emotions; basic categories such as love, joy, anger, sadness and fear; subordinate categories such as fondness, pride, jealousy, agony and worry.
9. There are two types of ways that individuals regulate their emotions. Reframe; putting it into perspective and suppression; ignoring and hiding the feeling.
10. According to the Schachter-Singer theory of emotion, physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation interact by making inferences about the way that an individuals body is behaving and the situation that that individual is in.