EMOTION
“Emotions are all those feelings that so change men as to affect their judgements, and that are also attended by pain or pleasure. Such are anger, pity, fear and the like, with their opposites.” (Aristotle 384-322 BCE)
Some people seem a bit more clever about their emotions than others. They are more aware of their own and other peoples' emotions, and label them accurately. They are also more able to express their emotions and use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour and to manage their emotions to achieve goals (Coleman).
“Emotion” comes from the Latin “movere”, “to move”. In this lesson we will refer to emotions as feelings, moods, and passions. We’ll also touch on intuition. We will be exploring ways in which emotions are a source of knowledge, as well as how they can obstruct knowledge.
What it is exactly?
What is emotion? The scientist Edward O. Wilson has defined an emotion as 'the modification of neural activity that animates and focuses mental activity.'
Primary emotions - According to psychologists, there are six basic emotions, that are common to all cultures : Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. Social emotions - Ambition, contempt, embarassment, envy, guilt, jealousy, pride, shame and sympathy Is emotion physical ? Physiological changes in the body can be monitored as evidence of certain emotional states. Emotions are affected by our physical state and our physical state, even our health is affected by our emotions. James-Lange theory - which states that if you remove all the physical symptoms, the corresponding emotion disappears... The role of beliefs - Besides being closely connected with our bodies, our emotions are also affected by our beliefs. Emotions as an obstacle to knowledge - Strong emotions can sometimes distort the three other ways of knowing - perception, reason and language |
Resources
Articles
- How Emotional Intelligence Can Improve Decision-Making
The secret to making smarter decisions that aren't swayed by your current emotions -- particularly when your emotions are unrelated to the decision at hand -- could lie in emotional intelligence, according to a new study. - Facial Expressions Aren't As Universal As Scientists Have Thought
A new study contradicts the common assumption that emotion-based facial expressions are recognized across cultures. - Understanding emotions without language
Does understanding emotions depend on the language we speak, or is our perception the same regardless of language and culture? - Emotion
- Emotions
- Emotional Intelligence: What it is and Why it Matters
- HOW WE DECIDE: mind-blowing neuroscience of decision-making
Test yourself!!
Videos
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