An Evolutionary Explanation of Emotion

1. An Evolutionary Explanation of Emotion By Mr Daniel Hansson

2. Consider these statements. What do they mean? Do you agree? �We have stone age genes and minds forced to live in a space age culture. We are stone agers living in the fast lane.� �Evolutionary explanations of human behavior make good stories but are little more than plausible hypotheses� �What being is there that does not desire happiness?�

3. What is the adaptive value of emotion? Aids decision making. Without emotion you cannot make decisions (e.g. Damasio) Motivates behaviour (e.g. to avoid danger) Aids communication within a group

4. Ekman (1973) Interviewed and tested participants from 22 countries, including the South Fore people in Papua Guinea, who have had no prior contact to western culture People with different cultural background chose the same facial expression for their emotions The conclusion is that our basic emotional life may be innate and has been formed by natural selection

6. Emotions that may be innate Fear Love Jealousy Happiness Disgust Anger

7. Fear Disposes us to avoid what may harm us Arouses the body, make it more apt to flee the threat Freezing may help concealment from a predator By submission you can avoid aggression from a stronger opponent Non preparedness theory (Seligman 1971): We are not born with innate fears, but to more readily associate harm with some stimuli than others (E.g. Garcia & Koelling 1966)

8. Empirical support: disposition for fear Buss (1999): Even though electricity and cars are more dangerous to us, we are more likely to fear snakes, heights, confided spaces, strangers and unfamiliar settings Mineka (1987): It is easier for infant Rhesus monkeys to learn to fear toy snakes than to learn to fear flowers Mineka (1989): Participants are more likely to associate pain with snakes and spiders than flowers or mushrooms (problem: spiders have never posed a major threat to humans)

9. Love Liking evolved to promote social co-operation and grouping for collective defence and hunting Romantic love evolved to ensure mate selection, protection and copulation. Companionate love evolved to maintain the pair bonds necessary to look after the helpless offspring produced(Fischer 2004) Children and adults have an innate attachment system (Bowlby 1969)

10. Jealousy Buss (1996) has suggested that jealousy is biologically based. Men are more afraid of that their partner will be sexually unfaithful (they risk having to provide for a child that is not his own) Women are more afraid of that their partner will be emotionally unfaithful (they risk that the man will not support and provide for their child)

11. Buss (1992) Please think of a serious committed romantic relationship that you have had in the past, that you currently have, or that you would like to have. Imagine that you discover that the person with whom you�ve been seriously involved became interested in someone else. What would distress or upset you more?

12. Dilemma 1 Imagining your partner forming a deep emotional attachment to that person [emotional infidelity]. Imagining your partner enjoying passionate sexual intercourse with that other person [sexual infidelity]. Dilemma 2 Imagining your partner trying different sexual positions with that other person [sexual infidelity]. Imagining your partner falling in love with that other person [emotional infidelity].

13. Happiness Behaviour that resulted in gains and success would be motivated by feelings of self-confidence, optimism, high energy levels and euphoria We may have an inner voice of dissatisfaction that prompts us to notice trouble and to strive for more

14. Disgust Disgust helps us to avoid bad food in order to minimize disease and infection