PSYCH 111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Crass, Libido, Limbic System
Document Summary
Emotions: menatal states or feelings associated with our evaluations of experiences. Humans experience only a small number of distinct emotions that combine in complex ways. Serves one or more distinctive evolutionary functions that are essentially the same in all of us. A small number of primary emotions (perhaps 7) are cross culturally universal. Pride and awe may also be cross culturally universal emotions. Happiness is easy to identify while negative emotions are harder to distinguish. Display rules: societal guidelines for how and when to express emotions. In many cases, culture doesn"t influence emotion itself it influences its overt expression. Discrete emotion theory may be largely right, but culture can subtly shape how emotions are expressed. Emotions differ not only in facial expressions, but also physiologically. Brain imaging data also provide at least some evidence for discrete emotions. But happiness and fear don"t differ much in brain wave activity. Cognitive theories of emotion: think first, feel later.
