Psychology: Emotion vs. Mood

Emotions arise from specific events or appraisals that impact well-being, influencing behavior and actions directly, lasting for seconds to minutes, and existing in the forefront of consciousness.

Moods emerge from ambiguous events or unknown sources, affecting thoughts and cognition, enduring for hours to days, and existing in the background of consciousness.

The subjective experience of an emotion, involving feelings and related thoughts about the situation.

Physiological changes like increased heart rate, adrenaline release, and pupil dilation that occur during an emotional response.

Observable outward expressions of emotion, including facial expressions, vocal signals, and body posture.

Action tendencies driven by emotions, aimed at coping or responding to a situation.

Emotions evolved to help us survive and reproduce by solving adaptive problems.

A perspective that highlights the adaptive and functional role of emotions in solving problems and enhancing survival.

These are the seven basic emotions, according to Jaak Panksepp, that are shared across species and are rooted in subcortical brain regions. They are: Seeking, Rage/Anger, Fear, Lust, Care, Panic/Sadness, and Play.

These are the six universal facial expressions, according to Paul Ekman, that are recognized across cultures. They are: Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and Surprise. Contempt is sometimes included as a seventh expression.

One evolutionary function of facial expressions is to communicate information to others. For instance, a fearful expression signals danger. Another function is adaptation, where expressions like wide eyes enhance perception while wrinkled noses reduce exposure to harmful substances.

Current thinking regarding the universality of facial expressions acknowledges that while some expressions are recognized across cultures, there is variability in interpretation. This suggests that facial expressions are not entirely universal and are influenced by cultural factors.

The James-Lange Theory proposes that our emotional experience is a result of our physiological response to a stimulus. This means we feel emotions because of the physical changes happening in our bodies. For example, you feel afraid because your heart is racing, not the other way around.

Cannon criticized the James-Lange Theory by arguing that physiological changes are too slow and similar across emotions to explain the rapid and distinct nature of emotional experience. He also showed that artificially inducing physiological changes doesn't always produce emotions.

The Cannon-Bard Theory proposes that emotion-arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger both a physiological response (like increased heart rate) and a conscious emotional experience (like fear). It emphasizes the role of the thalamus in mediating these responses.

The Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory suggests that emotional experience arises from a combination of physiological arousal and the cognitive label we attach to that arousal. For example, if you see a car coming towards you (stimulus), you might experience a racing heart (arousal), and then label it as fear because of the potential danger (cognitive label).

This perspective emphasizes the role of appraisals (evaluations) in shaping our emotional experience. It suggests that we experience emotions based on how we interpret and evaluate an event.

Magda Arnold's Appraisal Theory proposes that we experience emotions based on our appraisal of events as either good (beneficial) or bad (harmful). This appraisal triggers feelings (like liking or disliking), action tendencies (like approaching or withdrawing), and physiological changes (like increased heart rate).

Richard Lazarus's Theory builds on Arnold's work by highlighting the importance of both primary and secondary appraisals in shaping our emotional experience. Primary appraisal involves determining if an event is beneficial, harmful, or threatening, while secondary appraisal evaluates our coping options. These appraisals, in combination, drive our emotional response.

This perspective argues that emotions are shaped by cultural norms and practices. It proposes that emotions are essentially social roles defined by cultural rules. For instance, anger in honor cultures often involves confrontation, whereas in non-honor cultures, it might be dismissed.

James Averill's Theory suggests that emotions are essentially social roles, shaped by cultural rules. This means that different cultures have different ways of expressing and experiencing emotions. For example, in some cultures, anger is seen as a sign of strength, while in others, it is seen as a sign of weakness.

The Facial Feedback Hypothesis proposes that our facial expressions can influence our emotions. This means that if you smile, even if you're not feeling happy, your brain will begin to feel the emotion of happiness.

The Two Routes to Emotion Theory, developed by Joseph LeDoux, proposes that there are two pathways to emotion. The 'Low Road' is a quick, unconscious response mediated by the amygdala, while the 'High Road' involves slower, conscious processing mediated by the cerebral cortex. The prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role in regulating emotions.

This research shows that even unconscious stimuli can influence our emotional responses. For example, subliminally presented facial expressions can affect our liking ratings for unrelated stimuli.

This research suggests that even minimal cognition is necessary for emotions. Studies show that individuals with cortical blindness, who are unable to consciously see, can still respond to and experience emotions based solely on sensory information.

Fear is a basic emotion that triggers fight-or-flight responses to protect us from danger. Anger mobilizes energy to overcome obstacles or threats. Disgust helps avoid harmful substances by triggering avoidance behaviors.