How do psychologists explain emotion?

Definition:
Emotion is defined as “a complex reaction pattern, involving experiential, behavioral and
physiological elements.” Emotions are how individuals deal with matters or situations they find
personally significant. Emotional experiences have three components: a subjective experience, a
physiological response and a behavioral or expressive response.

Emotion is a complex psycho-physiological experience that we experience as a result of our

Some emotions are innate. For example: love, care, joy, surprise, anger and fear. These are
known as primary emotions. Secondary emotions are those that we learn through our experience.
For example: pride, rage, shame, neglect, sympathy and horror.

Defining emotions is a task that is not yet complete. Many researchers are still proposing theories
about what makes up our emotions, and existing theories are constantly being challenged. There
are some theories of psychologists that define or explain emotion in a certain way.

Psychologist’s theories

James-Lange Theory:

Psychologists William James and Carl Lange proposed a theory According to which, as we
experience different events, our nervous system develops physical reactions to these events.
Examples of these reactions include increased heart rate, trembling, upset stomach, etc. These
physical reactions in turn create emotional reactions such as anger, fear and sadness.

For example, imagine sitting in a dark room all by yourself. Suddenly you hear breathing sound
behind you. Your heart rate increases and you may even begin to tremble. You interpret these
physical responses as you are scared and so you experience fear.

Evolutionary Theory of Emotion:

It was naturalist Charles Darwin who proposed that emotions evolved because they were
adaptive and allowed humans and animals to survive. Feelings of fear compel people to either
fight or flee the source of danger.

According to the evolutionary theory of emotion, our emotions exist because they serve an
adaptive role. Emotions motivate people to respond quickly to stimuli in the environment, which
helps improve the chances of success and survival.
Understanding the emotions of other people and animals also plays a crucial role in safety and
survival. If you encounter a hissing, spitting, and clawing animal, chances are you will quickly
realize that the animal is frightened or defensive and leave it alone. By being able to interpret
correctly the emotional displays of other people and animals, you can respond correctly and
avoid danger.

Facial-Feedback Theory

In another theory emotions are explained called The Facial-Feedback Theory of Emotion. This
theory suggests that facial expressions are crucial to experiencing emotion. This theory is
proposed by Charles Darwin and William James that hypothesized that facial expressions impact
emotion as opposed to their being a response to an emotion. This theory holds that emotions are
directly tied to physical changes in the facial muscles. Thus, someone who forced himself to
smile would be happier than someone who wore a frown.

Cognitive Appraisal Theory:

Richard Lazarus proposed this theory of emotion. According to the Cognitive Appraisal Theory,
thinking must occur before experiencing emotion. Thus, a person would first experience a
stimulus, think, and then simultaneously experience a physiological response and the emotion.

These are far from the only theories of emotion that exist, but they provide great examples of
how the ideas about how emotion is generated differ from each other. What all theories of
emotion have in common is the idea that an emotion is based off some sort of personally
significant stimulus or experience, prompting a biological and psychological reaction.

Schechter-Singer Theory:

Also known as the two-factor theory of emotion, the Schachter-Singer theory is an example of
a cognitive theory of emotion. This theory suggests that the physiological arousal occurs first,
and then the individual must identify the reason for this arousal to experience and name it as an
emotion. A stimulus leads to a physiological response that is then cognitively interpreted and
named, resulting in an emotion.
For example, you are sitting in a dark room all by yourself and all of a sudden you hear breathing
sound behind you. Your heart rate increases and you begin to tremble. Upon noticing these
physical reactions, you realize that they come from the fact that you are all alone in a dark room.
You think that you may be in danger, and you feel the emotion of fear.

Cannon-Bard Theory:

The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion was developed by physiologists Walter Cannon and Philip
Bard. According to this theory, we feel the emotions and experience the physiological reactions
such as sweating, trembling and muscle tension simultaneously.
For example, you are in a dark room all by yourself and suddenly you hear breathing sound
nearby. According to the Cannon-Bard theory, your heart rate increases and you begin to
tremble. While you are experiencing these physical reactions, you also experience the emotion of
fear.

Without emotions, your decision-making ability would be impaired. Emotion is always passing
judgments, presenting you with immediate information about the world.

How accurately are emotions expressed by face and body language?

People who saw the body, with or without the face accurately guessed whether the person was
happy or distraught. Those who viewed just the faces failed to distinguish between happy and
unhappy players. People use information from the body and then they read it into the face, The
findings don't rule out the face from all emotional cues. Human beings and some other animals
have remarkable control over their facial muscles. Facial expressions of emotion are patterned
movements of the muscles in the face that correspond with internal, affective states.

Communication is clearly important to effective social interaction. Whereas humans are able to
communicate with one another verbally, they also are able to communicate nonverbally through
body language and facial expressions. Facial expression of emotion is an important aspect of
communication, and our bodies and brains seem wired to engage in such communication

First, human beings appear to have brain regions specifically dedicated to processing information
about others’ faces. Second, each human brain has two cortical regions containing a map of
one’s own body. Human beings are able to recognize facial expressions of at least six emotions
with remarkable accuracy: happiness, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust.

Body language refers to the nonverbal signals that we use to communicate. According to experts,

In some cases, our facial expressions may reveal our true feelings about a particular
situation. While you say that you are feeling fine, the look on your face may tell people
otherwise.

Just a few examples of emotions that can be expressed via facial expressions include:

 Happiness
 Sadness
 Anger
 Surprise
 Disgust
  Fear
 Confusion
 Excitement
 Desire

Facial expressions are also among the most universal forms of body language. The expressions
used to convey fear, anger, sadness, and happiness are similar throughout the world.
The Mouth: Mouth expressions and movements can also be essential in reading body
language. For example, chewing on the bottom lip may indicate that the individual is
experiencing feelings of worry, fear, or insecurity. Covering the mouth may be an effort to be
polite if the person is yawning or coughing, but it may also be an attempt to cover up a frown of
disapproval. Smiling is perhaps one of the greatest body language signals, but smiles can also be
interpreted in many ways.
Gestures: Gestures can be some of the most direct and obvious body language signals.
Waving, pointing, and using the fingers to indicate numerical amounts are all very common and
easy to understand gestures. A clenched fist can indicate anger in some situations or solidarity in
others.

Eyes: The eyes are frequently referred to as the "windows to the soul" since they are capable of
revealing a great deal about what a person is feeling or thinking. As you engage in conversation
with another person, taking note of eye movements is a natural and important part of the
communication process. Some common things you may notice include whether people are
making direct eye contact or averting their gaze, how much they are blinking, or if their pupils
are dilated. When evaluating body language, pay attention to the following eye signals.

Body movement and posture:  Consider how your perceptions of people are affected by
the way they sit, walk, stand, or hold their head. The way you move and carry you communicates
a wealth of information to the world. This type of nonverbal communication includes your
posture, bearing, stance, and the subtle movements you make.

Space: Have you ever felt uncomfortable during a conversation because the other person was
standing too close and invading your space? We all have a need for physical space, although that
need differs depending on the culture, the situation, and the closeness of the relationship. You
can use physical space to communicate many different nonverbal messages, including signals of
intimacy and affection, aggression or dominance.

Voice: It’s not just what you say; it’s how you say it. When you speak, other people “read”
your voice in addition to listening to your words. Things they pay attention to include your
timing and pace, how loud you speak, your tone and inflection, and sound that convey
understanding, such as “ahh” and “uh-huh.” Think about how your tone of voice can indicate
sarcasm, anger, affection, or confidence.

Body Language Speaks Volumes. ... Look at his or her body, not face. When people are at the
peak of joy or despair, their body language is a more reliable indicator of their emotions than
their face, a new study finds. "You can't tell from the face alone if something good's going on or
bad going on

For example: we investigated the effects of context on physiological responses to face and body
signals. First we used realistic face-body compounds expressing emotionally congruent or
incongruent signals of anger, fear, and happiness. We opted for these expressions for the
following reasons. First, these three emotions can be expressed equally well via the body and the
face contrary to surprise and disgust that are not well recognized from body expressions alone.
Second, these emotions are all three arousing and contain a clear action component in the body
expression (in contrast to a sad body expression). Third, anger, fear and happy expressions are
the emotions that have been studied most often. An angry expression can be interpreted as a sign
of dominance. In contrast, fear may signal submissiveness. A smile can mean both. In the
context of an aggressive posture, a smile is more likely to be interpreted as dominant, a laugh in
the face. But when the body expresses fear, the smile may be perceived as an affiliative cue.

Being emotionally aware enables you to:

 Accurately read other people, including the emotions they’re feeling and the unspoken
messages they’re sending.

 Create trust in relationships by sending nonverbal signals that match up with your
words.

 Respond in ways that show others that you understand and care.