Emotion and Physiological Arousal What is Emotion Emotion

Emotion and Physiological Arousal

What is Emotion ? Ø Emotion means to move and it is characterized by ; Ø Physiological arousal Ø Facial expressions Ø Gestures Ø Posture Ø Subjective feelings

What is really going on? Ø First: the body is physically aroused. In other words its what makes us say that we were moved by a play or an act of kindness. Ø Second: we are often motivated by emotions such as fear, anger or joy.

The Effects of Emotion Ø The effects of emotions are, positive effect and negative effect. Ø Positive effect: attaching, feeling, seeking comfort and helping others. Doing this helps us survive and adjust to changing conditions. Ø Negative effect: stage fright or “choking up” in sport which will spoil performance.

What Are The Elements of Emotion? Ø The physiological changes such as alternation in heart rate and blood pressure Ø Emotional Expression such as trembling hand when we are afraid. Ø Emotional feelings

Primary emotions Ø According to Robert Plutchik, there are eight primary emotions: Ø Fear and Surprise Ø Sadness and Anger Ø Disgust and Joy Ø Anticipation and Trust Ø However these emotion can act in combinations depending on the situation.

Moods Ø Mood is the mildest form of emotion, being low in intensity. Ø For example when a person in an irritable mood reacts angrily or violently towards a simple action of sight, hearing or physical.

The Brain and Emotions Ø The positive emotions are processed mainly in the left hemisphere of the brain. Ø The negative emotions are processed in the right hemisphere Ø That why you could feel sad and happy at the same time, because its works independently.

The role of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Ø The autonomic nervous system plays a big role in the flight or fight response Ø The neural system connects the brain with internal organs and glands, thus causing certain changes that change the outside appearance.

Parts of the Autonomic Nervous System Ø The autonomic nervous system consists of two branches: Ø The sympathetic nervous system Ø The parasympathetic nervous system Ø Both branches are continuously active during relaxation or arousal.

The Sympathetic Nervous System Ø This branch is responsible for the fight-or- flight response, arousing some bodily systems while inhibiting others. Ø Some of the reactions can be, faster heart beat, increase in the pupil size, increase in blood pressure and a sense of stomach cramps.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System Ø This system can be called the recovery system. Ø It does the opposite job of the sympathetic nervous system. Ø It is the after effect which returns all functions to their relaxed and stable state. Ø Heart beat becomes slower, pupils returns to normal state and blood pressure decreases.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Parasympathetic Nervous System Ø Advantages: the parasympathetic system helps in building and conserving bodily energy. Ø Disadvantage: In some cases the blood pressure may become to low causing a sense of dizziness or fainting. Ø In severe cases it may lead to death “parasympathetic rebound”. Ø This mainly occurs in old people or those who suffer from heart problems.

Parasympathetic Vs. Sympathetic Ø The sympathetic is a fast acting reaction causing rapid changes in many body functions to support and relate to the occurring event. Ø The parasympathetic system is slow in action and may take from 20 -30 minutes to restore the body to its relaxed and stable state.

Suppressing Emotion Ø Suppressing emotions fall under the category of self control. Ø This self control can be very costly, keeping emotions inside is the worst option to take. Ø Hiding emotions can increase the activity of the sympathetic causing instability in the normal bodily functions. Ø Expressing emotions is always the best choice of action because it helps relieve oneself from inner troubles and later hidden consequences.

THE END Ø With the reference of Dr. Hamza Malki