PSY220H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Amygdala, Orbitofrontal Cortex, Intensify
Document Summary
Emotions are important guides of thought and action. Once set in motion, emotions wield powerful influences on what people perceive, how they reason, what they deem right and wrong, and what matters to them. Emotions can also aid reason and are vital to healthy relationships, sound functioning, and effective pursuit of the good life. Emotions are specific (i. e. , you feel emotions about specific people and events) The focus of an emotional experience is called intentional object : when you"re angry, you have a clear sense of what you"re angry about. Emotions help individuals achieve their social goals: emotions motivate us to act in specific way that affect our social relationships, gratitude motivates us to reward others, guilt motives us to make amends, William james argued that the essence of an emotion is its bodily response: shifts in our heart rate, in our sweaty palms, or blush, and in our muscle tension and movements of viscera.