The Science of Pleasure and Positive Emotions Quiz

Understanding Positive Emotions and the Neuroscience of Pleasure

• Emotions consist of appraisal, physiological changes, expression, subjective experience, and action tendencies, which can explain individual differences in experiences.
• Physiological changes in emotions involve the peripheral autonomic nervous system and brain activity, which are often elusive and not linked to distinct emotions like joy or anger.
• The brain's dopamine system is associated with "wanting" and motivation, while opioids and cannabinoids are linked to "liking" and enjoyment.
• Expressions, such as facial feedback and facial mimicry, can influence emotional experiences.
• Subjective experiences of emotions rely on self-reports and can be influenced by the choice of emotion terms and the distinction between "online" and recalled experiences.
• Action tendencies motivate individuals to act and are more associated with unpleasant emotions, prompting behaviors such as avoidance.
• The Broaden & Build Theory suggests that positive emotions broaden attention "in the moment" and build resources over time.
• Rat studies have provided insights into pleasure-like behaviors, such as playing and producing ultrasonic laughs, and have linked pleasure to opioids and cannabinoids in the brain.
• Understanding rat pleasure circuits may shed light on human pleasures and contribute to an evolutionary perspective on emotion research.
• Subjective experience measurement in emotion research commonly relies on self-reports and rating scales, such as the PANAS questionnaire, to quantify subjective experiences and define a conceptual space for emotions.
• Non-human animals, like pets, express emotions akin to humans, and rats produce distinctive trill vocalizations associated with pleasure, providing a basis for comparison with human pleasure experiences.
• Neuroscience of pleasure in rats involves the role of dopamine, opioids, and cannabinoids, where dopamine influences motivation ("wanting") but doesn't exclusively define pleasure ("liking").