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Emotions: Part 1

Emotions: Part 1. Intro to Psych Class # 5 2/11/14. “To the psychologist alone can such questions occur as: Why do we smile, when pleased, and not scowl? Why are we unable to talk to a crowd as we talk to a single friend? Why does a particular maiden turn our wits so upside-down?

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Emotions: Part 1

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  1. Emotions: Part 1 Intro to Psych Class # 5 2/11/14

  2. “To the psychologist alone can such questions occur as: Why do we smile, when pleased, and not scowl? Why are we unable to talk to a crowd as we talk to a single friend? Why does a particular maiden turn our wits so upside-down? The common man can only say, "Of course we smile, of course our heart palpitates at the sight of the crowd, of course we love the maiden! And so, probably, does each animal feel about the particular things it tends to do in presence of particular objects. To the lion it is the lioness which is made to be loved; to the bear, the she-bear. To the broody hen the notion would probably seem monstrous that there should be a creature in the world to whom a nestful of eggs was not the utterly fascinating and precious and never-to-be-too-much-sat-upon object which it is to her.” - William James, The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2

  3. HUH? What’s the point James is trying to make? Of course all of these things seems natural to us, but the reason they do is not because they are logical truths or facts. They emerge from aspects of our biological nature that are subject to chance

  4. Subject to Chance??? • ASK YOURSELF: • Why does poop smell? • Why does chocolate taste good? • Why do we love our children? • Why do we get angry when people hit us? • Why do we feel good when someone does us a favor?

  5. The questions to ask… • They seem SO BASIC as to be obvious • BUT ARE THEY? • The first step to insight is to ask ourselves questions that are so basic but that have an answer that is difficult to put to words • Why is our flesh warm? • Why does water turn solid when it gets cold?

  6. Emotions • What we’re going to talk about today and Thursday • Why they exist? • What they’re there for? • How they work?

  7. Wrong Theory of Emotions As illustrated by STAR TREK! • Lt. Cmdr. Data • Android • Described as: • Competent & Capable • Lacking emotion http://youtu.be/yNMspTxy2yA

  8. Wrong Theory of Emotions • Mr. Spock • Half-Vulcan, Half-Human • Also described as: • Capable & Competent • Lacking emotion Spock no emotion: http://youtu.be/dNd1OQeQhjs Spock with emotion: http://youtu.be/k9vHopyEtzs

  9. Wrong Theory of Emotions Common sense says “Gee, if I could only think rationally and reasonably and not let my emotions guide my behavior, I’d be much better off! WRONG!

  10. Wrong Theory of Emotions Steven Pinker, on what drove Mr. Spock: “Spock must have been driven by some motives or goals. Something must have led him to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man had gone before. Presumably, it was intellectual curiosity that set him to drive and solve problems. It was solidarity with his allies that led him to be such a competent and brave officer. What would he have done if attacked by a predator or an invading Klingon? Did he do a handstand, solve a 4 color map theorem?Presumably, a part of his brain quickly mobilized his faculties to scope out how to flee and how to take steps to avoid a vulnerable predicament in the future. That is, he had fear.”

  11. EMOTIONS Without emotions to drive us we would do nothing at all Everything we do has a basis in our emotions

  12. Emotions & Science How can we illustrate this connection between emotions and how we live our lives in a scientific way? By studying the unusual or unfortunate cases of individuals who seem to have “lost” their emotions Who remembers Phineas Gage????

  13. Gage & Emotions Phineas Gage! 28 year old railroad worker who took a 13lb metal rod to the face and brain & lived to tell the tale Was a nice, respectable, reliable, and trustworthy fella before his accident A family man

  14. Gage & Emotions • But after his accident? • He became “fitful and irreverent, indulging at times in a gross display of profanity, manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice, a child in his intellectual capacities and manifestations. He had the animal pleasures of a strong man. His foul language is so debased that women are advised not to stay long in his presence.” • Antonio Damasio, Descartes’ Error

  15. Gage & Emotions Couldn’t hold a job, lost his family, and ended up in the circus, travelling around with his metal rod, telling his tale Individuals with brain damage like Gage’s, to the frontal cortex, lose their ability to care about things, or to prioritize.

  16. Emotional Capacity These are not men who have lost their emotions. They are men who have lost a large part of their emotional capacity Emotions set goals and establish priorities for us Without them we wouldn’t do anything; we couldn’t do anything Your desire to go out with friends, have a relationship, raise a family: all priorities set by your emotions

  17. How can we tell another person’s emotions? What do we “read” to figure out what emotions another person is experiencing??? Their face!

  18. Faces Facial expressions are one of the most important ways in which we communicate our actions http://youtu.be/umhb95CyyUk Paul Ekman, psychologist and foremost expert on emotions and facial expressions

  19. Make a face! Lower your eyebrows and draw them together Tense your upper and lower eyelids STARE (bulging eyes are ok) Press your lips together; make the corners straight or point down What emotion is this face? ANGER!

  20. POP QUIZ! • Can You Read People’s Emotions? • From The New York Times website, October 3, 2013 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/well-quiz-the-mind-behind-the-eyes/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=2

  21. Make another face! Raise the corners of your lips back and up Raise your cheeks Raise your lower eyelids What face is this? SMILE!

  22. Smiles & Emotions • Smiles are UNIVERSAL • Young children smile • Blind children smile • Smiles are not uniquely human

  23. Smiles & Emotions • Smiles are social signals • Not all smiles = happy • People smile when they wish to COMMUNICATE happiness • Example: Professional Bowlers • Example: Olympic medalists http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ818um6bfw

  24. Types of Smiles • Smiles of Greeting • Also called a “Pan Am smile” • Big and FAKE • Politicians are known to give Pan Am smiles

  25. Types of Smiles • Smile of Genuine Happiness • Can you spot the difference? • It’s all in the eyes • Duchenne Smile • 1 out of 10 people can fake a Duchenne smile

  26. Types of Smiles • Coy (or appeasement) smile • Very specialized smile • A smile of stress or embarrassment • No eye contact, and you kinda turn your head away • Given when you want people to like you, include you, or get people to feel positively about you • Usually in a high stress situation, often with some sort of risk

  27. Smiles & Moods • Different smiles have psychological validity • Different smiles to represent different moods, emotions, thoughts • Example: Babies • When mommy approaches: genuine smile of happiness • When a stranger approaches: greeting smile • Example: Married Couples • Smile of genuine happiness vs greeting smile when they see each other

  28. Fear • Basic emotion • All human have it in some degree • Even nonhumans have it • Non-social emotion • Not an emotion based solely on interaction with other people • You can be afraid of falling off a cliff (doesn’t involve another person)

  29. Fear • Distinctive facial expression • Example: Lee Harvey Oswald is shot • Man in the white hat • His face is fear & anger

  30. Fear • What are we afraid of? • Snakes, spiders, heights, storms, large animals, darkness, blood, strangers, humiliation, deep water, leaving home alone • What do these have in common? • Also scary to our ancient ancestors: • All through evolution these have been scary to us • Represent things that can harm or kill us

  31. Fear • What are we less afraid of? • Guns, cars, electrical outlets • Less harmful to us throughout our evolution • Are things we can avoid to protect ourselves • Similar fears have been found in primates • What are inner city kids in Chicago afraid of? • Guns? Violence? Knives? • Nope – snakes and spiders • These naturally cause fear & concern, their environment doesn’t

  32. Social Emotions Emotions toward our kin Emotions toward our non-kin (but who we interact with) Focus on emotions that generate altruistic or kind behavior

  33. Social Emotions • Are animals merely survival machines? Do they have emotions? • Not according to evolutionary theory • Example: • Animal with Gene A: cares for its offspring, loves & nurtures them while they grow up • Animal with Gene B: cares only for itself, doesn’t care for its young, they’re left to fend alone and likely die

  34. Social Emotions • Which Gene is likely to survive and carry on through reproduction? • Gene A: According to natural selection, Gene A will live on through the generations because it focuses on REPRODUCTION, not survival • Reproduction is the key to “survival of the fittest”: those with the right genes will survive; those with other genes won’t

  35. Social Emotions • Another perspective • The Cold Virus • Why do you sneeze when you get a cold? • Think about it from the virus’ perspective… • It wants to reproduce. How can it do that? • It needs to occupy other bodies. But how can it get there? • It needs to be propelled to other bodies. By sneezing!

  36. Social Emotions • Viral Reproduction • A powerful virus would skip the respiratory system & go straight for the body’s control center: the brain • Imagine a virus that infects an animal, takes over its brain & modifies it to make the animal go around biting people so the virus can reproduce. FREAKY! • And also called RABIES

  37. Social Emotions • A baby crying: what does it mean? • It’s a distress call, but it has to be done just the right way • It must be annoying enough for us to want to help • feed me! Pick me up! • Can’t be so annoying that the people around want to kill you • We are wired to respond to the distress call because it is extremely annoying • I’m coming, baby, but only because it will make you shut up!

  38. Good thing babies are so cute! But do not be tempted to say “Isn’t it wonderful that the way nature works is that babies are cute?”

  39. Why are babies cute? AWWW! Human babies are not metaphysically cute They’re cute because that’s how our brains are wired They’re cute because there are certain cues that correspond to the way our brains are wired Studies in adults reveal a bias toward individuals with “baby face”

  40. Baby Faces What the hell?! • Baby faces in adults are perceived to mean the person is naïve, helpless, kind, and warm • In Mock Trials, people with baby faces are more likely to be found innocent that people with non-baby faces

  41. Babies & Us • Cupboard Theory (Skinner) • Babies’ attachment to their parents is because the parents provide food • Because of operant conditioning the baby is drawn towards the adult • Alternative Theory – Bowlby • Babies are drawn to their mother for comfort and social interaction as well as fear of strangers

  42. Babies & Us • Harlow: experiments with primates using wire mothers and cloth mothers • To see which the baby monkey preferred: food only or comfort and warmth only? • Wire mothers: gave food only • Cloth mothers: gave warmth and comfort only http://youtu.be/CU9jKlNK1Qc

  43. Quiz! Who is Sexier? Baby Face Man or Testosterone Face Man?

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