8 Emotion 1 Emotion In Interpersonal Communication 2

8 - Emotion 1 Emotion In Interpersonal Communication 2. The Nature Of Emotion 3. Influences On Emotional Experience And Expression 4. Sharpening Your Emotional Communication Skills

Emotion & Mood � Emotion- The body’s multidimensional response to any event that enhances or inhibits one’s goals. ◦ Short-lived � Mood- A feeling, often prolonged, that has no identifiable cause ◦ Persistent ◦ Lasting for days or weeks at a time

Joyful/ Affectionate Emotions -prompt us to feel connected � Happiness cheer) (state of contentment, joy, pleasure, and ◦ A social experience ◦ Contributes positively to our health � Love (caring for, feeling attached to, and feeling deeply committed) and Passion (mixing feeling of joy and surprise with experiences of excitement and attraction) ◦ Passion is enhanced by novelty ◦ Arise out of social interactions � Liking (a product of your overall evaluation of another person) ◦ Display high immediacy behaviors ◦ and shared activities

Hostile Emotions -Destructive emotions prompt us to attack � Anger (perceiving you have been wronged) ◦ Harmful to health ◦ Anger can be self-directed � Contempt else) (feeling you’re better than someone ◦ One of the most harmful emotions ◦ Sends messages of judgment, disapproval, and disrespect � Disgust (feeling of revulsion you experience) ◦ Strong emotional and physical reaction � Jealousy (feeling the existence or the quality of the relationship is threatened by a third party � Envy (wanting what another person has) ◦ Can be positive or negative

Sad and Anxious Emotions -prompt us to withdraw � Sadness (a normal feeling of unhappiness, sorrow, and discouragement due to loss) and Depression (a physical illness lasting for months or years) � Grief (the emotional process of dealing with profound loss) ◦ 5 Steps: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance � Fear (mind and body’s reaction to perceived danger) � Social Anxiety (fear of not making a good impression on others ◦ Social Anxiety Disorder

Nature: Multidimensional � Physiological ◦ Patterned, predictable ways your body reacts to emotions ◦ Bodily changes serve a purpose (dealing with the emotion and restoring the body) �Heart rate, breathing rate, pupil dilation, stress hormones, blood sugar, digestive and reproductive systems � Cognitive ◦ Your mind uses your physical feelings and behaviors to identify the emotion

Nature: Multidimensional � Behavioral ◦ “Action Tendencies”motives toward specific behavioral responses to emotions �Fear- Fight or Flight � Social and Cultural ◦ Emotions are shaped by Societies beliefs about the situation �Eating animals (dogs, cats, snails, snakes, camels, guinea pigs, or rates are all common around the world) �Shame and Suicide (High suicide rates in Japan)

Nature: Vary in Valence & Intensity � � Whether emotion is positive or negative Coincide with physical processes ◦ Positive: relaxation, reduced stress, production of hormones (oxytocin and dopamine) ◦ Negative: anxiety, increased blood pressure, elevates stress hormones (cortisol) � Some emotions are have neutral valence (the focus of the Surprise) Valance � Strength of emotion � Fear- Anxiety- Worry. Terror � Debilitating emotions impair our ability to function � Inhibit ability to communicate � Doesn’t last long � Ask for help and support Intensity

Nature: Primary & Secondary Forms � Distinct emotional experiences � People experience and express them the same across cultures � Innate and affected by biology � Joy, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust � Produces by combining primary emotions � Jealousy (combination of anger, fear, and sadness) � Remorse (sadness and disgust) � Contempt (disgust and anger) � Awe (surprise and fear) Primary Secondary

Nature: Meta-Emotions � Feeling one emotion about another emotion (joy about controlled fear experienced from a scary movie or roller coaster) � Includes how we feel about others emotions too (surprised by another’s anger) � Helps us to understand our own emotions better

Influences on Experience & Expression Cultural Background Display Rules Technology Emotional Contagion Sex and Gender Personality Emotional Intelligence

� Individualist/ Collectivist � Geography � Co-Cultures ◦ Cultural practices shape expression of emotion ◦ India and Japan discourage negative emotion directed at own culture but not outside groups ◦ US and Canada opposite ◦ Chinese Americans express moderation and control ◦ Americans of European descent are more expressive ◦ Mexican Americans tend to be more expressive than Americans of European descent ◦ 1748 Study to Today, warmer climate=more expressive/ colder climate=less expressive ◦ South=more contact/ North=less contact ◦ Hypothesis: Warm weather cause skin to relax and more nerve sensitivity and more attentive to sensations leading to more expression ◦ Encouragement to examine emotions and use emotions in artistic cocultures ◦ Discouragement because of stigma in other co-cultures (military, Scientology) Culture

�Intensification- Exaggerating �De-Intensification- Downplaying �Simulation- Pretending �Inhibition- Acting indifferent when you experience emotion �Masking- Expressing one emotion when you are experiencing another one Display Rules -Unwritten codes that govern the ways people manage and express emotions

�Inhibit Nonverbal Communication �Increases Opportunities for Sharing �Provides Multiple Opportunities for Discussion �Increases Emotional Sharing and Bonding Technology

�Tendency to mimic the emotional experiences and expressions of others �Emotions are “socially contagious” Emotional Contagion

� Sexual Difference In Jealousy ◦ Men experience more sexual jealousy ◦ Women more emotional jealousy ◦ Men respond in confrontational behavior, sexual aggressiveness, promiscuity, and wooing, or breakup ◦ Women respond with self-improvement behaviors, support, demand for commitment, or role reversal ◦ Both respond negatively to the actual experience of infidelity � Gender Roles and Emotional Expression ◦ Androgynous people are more expressive ◦ Traditional gender roles may encourage differentiation in emotional expression ◦ Masculine women and feminine men reported more positive emotions Sex and Gender

�Agreeableness- how pleasant, accommodating, and cooperative you are ◦ Happier and better at managing stress ◦ More constructive ◦ Focus on preserving the relationship �Extroversion- you are how sociable or outgoing ◦ Happier and more positive �Neuroticism- tendency to think negative thoughts about oneself ◦ Focus on negative events ◦ More negative emotions ◦ Manage emotions less successfully Personality

� The ability to perceive and understand emotions � Use emotions to facilitate thought � Manage emotions constructively � Aware of your own emotions and others � More likely to express warmth, affection, and positive emotions *Alexithymia- a personality trait characterized by a relative inability to understand, process, and describe emotions (5 -9% pop. ) Emotional Intelligence

Sharpening Emotional Skills � Identify Emotions ◦ Helps manage emotions productively ◦ Listen to your body, pay attention to your thoughts, and take stock of the situation � Reappraise Negative Emotions ◦ Changes the way you think to reduce emotional effect ◦ Reduces negative emotions ◦ Reframing (pg. 271 - Got Skills) � Accept Responsibility ◦ Own your thoughts and feelings (I-statements) � Separate Emotion from Action ◦ Own your behaviors ◦ Do not act on every emotion ◦ Weigh pros and cons