Untitled Quiz

Social Affect

• Social affect is a psychological term used to describe emotions.
• It helps people engage in appropriate behaviors in social situations.
• Everyday experiences create a wide range of moods and emotions (positive and negative).
• Emotions have a profound effect on our lives.
• They are important to social psychologists because we share emotions through social behavior, which influences social judgment.

Panic of 2008

• The 2008 financial collapse affected many people's jobs, life savings, and homes.
• Stock traders are expected to make rational decisions, but emotions can influence investment decisions.

What is Affect?

• Affect is a psychological term used to describe emotions.
• This term is used in a clinical sense.
• It helps people engage in behaviors appropriate to their social situation perceptions.

How Does Affect Influence Our Social Lives?

• Affect (emotions, moods) can be harmful if not regulated.
• Regulated moods and emotions help us function effectively & improve survival chances.

The Physiology of Affect

• Emotions are partly determined by responses from the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).
• The SNS releases stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine.
• The result of the SNS activation is arousal.
• Arousal accompanies strong emotions.

The Limbic System

• The oldest part of the brain that controls emotion experience is the limbic system.
• The amygdala is a region within the limbic system that connects to other bodily systems related to emotions.

Basic Emotions

• Basic emotions are primarily based on arousal from the SNS and don't require much cognitive processing.
• Examples: anger, contempt, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise.
• Paul Ekman studied basic emotions across cultures; he found they were consistent across cultures.

Secondary Emotions

• Secondary emotions provide complex feelings about social worlds; they are more cognitively based.
• Examples: guilt, shame, embarrassment.

Cultural and Gender Differences in Emotional Responses

• Eastern cultures focus on other-concern; experience more positive emotions when with others.
• Western cultures focus on self-concern; experience more positive emotions when alone.
• Women report being more open to feelings overall.

Mood

• Mood helps us evaluate our current situation.
• Positive mood maintains current activities.
• Negative mood suggests attempts to improve the current situation.
• Mood states are important for well-being.

Misattribution of Arousal

• Misattribution of arousal is when people incorrectly label the source of their arousal.
• Arousal only becomes an emotion accompanied by a label/explanation. (Schachter & Singer, 1962).
• Emotion = arousal + cognition

Stress and the Immune System

• Extreme social situations (natural disasters, terrorist attacks) can result in PTSD.
• Symptoms include anxiety, nightmares, and social withdrawal.
• Emotions matter because they influence behavior, and there's no more powerful influence on people than stress.
• Stress triggers increases in arousal like elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and hormone release (e.g., adrenaline), preparing the body for threats.
• Short-term stress responses are beneficial for survival, but prolonged stress can be harmful mentally and physically.

General Adaptation Syndrome

• Hans Seyle created the term "general adaptation syndrome".
• It refers to three distinct phases of physiological change in response to long-term stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
• Stage 1 (alarm): Body releases stress hormones including cortisol.
• Stage 2 (resistance): Body adapts to the threat and returns to normal functions. Glucose and blood pressure increase.
• Stage 3 (exhaustion): Body resources are depleted; stress tolerance decreases, and there's potential mental and physical exhaustion; illness; and even death.

Sources of Stress

• Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a measure of everyday life events that can lead to stress.
• The scale can help assess one's personal stress level.
• Daily hassles can add to the total stress score, potentially affecting health.
• High stress scores correlate with an increased risk of illness.

Responses to Stress

• Men more likely to respond to stress with fight-or-flight response (attack or retreat).
• The strongest predictor of a physiological response to daily hassles is negative emotions, leading to more negative health outcomes.
• Women more likely to tend-and-befriend (creating social networks).
• The tend-and-befriend response is healthier than fight-or-flight because it avoids elevated cortisol levels.

Depression and Anxiety

• Depression is an affective disorder involving sadness, low self-esteem, pessimism, & apathy. It affects millions in the U.S. and higher incidence in women.
• Anxiety is a psychological disorder which can manifest physically (upset stomach, shortness of breath, general agitation).
• Both depression and anxiety are partially genetically inherited but can be influenced by social factors and inadequate social interactions, or feelings of loneliness.

Thinking Like a Social Psychologist About Social Affect

• Avoid negative emotions as much as possible, think positively.
• Believe in your abilities to make a difference, but don't exaggerate them.
• Be aware of your stress level and use relaxation techniques.
• Set realistic goals.
• Practice healthy behaviors—aerobic exercise, among others.
• Avoid unhealthy behaviors—smoking, excessive drinking, unsafe sex.
• Develop close relationships and share problems.
• Recognize that money has limited value in achieving happiness.

How to Feel Better - Coping With Negative Emotions

• Various resources can help cope with negative emotions.

What Doesn't Work: Distorting and Suppressing Negative Outcomes

• Ignoring negative emotions doesn't make them go away, they persist and negatively affect well-being.
• Attempts to suppress emotions often fail, it can lead to a rebound effect.
• Distracting behaviors may provide only temporary relief.

What Works: Expressing Emotions

• Expressing emotions (talking or writing) leads to better mental and physical health.
• It helps people process and understand emotions.
• Confronting negative emotions reduces long-term health risks and improves immune function.
• Opening up to others aids in gaining a sense of control over the situation.

Self-Regulation

• Self-regulation is managing emotions to control behaviors, focusing on long-term goals.
• Consistent effort is required, like a muscle that gets depleted with excessive use.

Positive Outcomes of Self-Regulation

• Improved success in academics, professional, and social contexts.
• Delayed gratification is linked to better SAT scores, social skills, and stress management later in life.
• Healthier coping mechanisms.
• Resisting impulsive behaviors.

Positive Emotion

• Positive emotions counteract stress and foster resilience.
• Thinking positively contributes to meeting daily challenges and maintains optimism.
• Optimism, self-efficacy, and hardiness are linked to better health outcomes, healthier habits, and longer lifespan.

Social Support

• Social support—perception of care and support—consistently impacts health and well-being.
• It acts as a buffer against stress and is correlated with better mental and physical health.
• Strong support systems result in lower levels of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

The Influence of Social Support on Health and Well-being, (Data Tables)

• Data were given on different coping strategies and cultural differences in perceptions of social support.

Do We Know What Makes Us Happy?

• Income has risen steadily; however, happiness rates have remained relatively flat.
• More wealth does not necessarily correlate with increased happiness.

Regulating Emotions to Improve Our Health

• Emotional regulation, healthy behaviors, and avoidance of risky behaviors are key to well-being.
• Strategies for emotional regulation include cognitive and emotional regulation, adopting healthier habits, practicing awareness and control of emotions, developing resilience, and adaptation.

Summary

• Affect plays a key role in everyday experiences and across cultures.
• Secondary emotions are more complex and involved with moods, which influence well-being.
• Stress, depression, and anxiety are associated with biological, psychological, and social factors.
• Well-being is linked to positive social connections and effective self-regulation.
• Expressing emotions enhances success and well-being, though suppressing it can be detrimental.
• Social connections contribute significantly to happiness. Wealth can contribute only to a limited extent over the long term.