Emotions

Today in my lecture we came upon the topic of emotions and exactly what they are. Not only did I learn their significance I learned about their importance in our everyday life.

            Emotions can be described as many things. Many people even have their own definitions for the word. I asked a group of people what they thought emotions were and they all seem to have pretty much the same answer. FEELINGS!!! True, emotions are feelings but their more than that, according to psychology emotions are a mix of psychological arousal, expressed behavior, and consciously experienced thoughts. Where do emotions come from? Psychologist James Lange had a theory that our experiences of emotions are our awareness of our physiological response.  

Emotions are simply a ‘ravel’ of our feelings. These feelings have been studied internationally and they all average in the main six emotions that we encounter daily. Happy, sad, fear, surprised, disgust, and anger. When you mix the feelings, sad and surprised you come out with the emotion disappoint. Emotions help the world better communicate and it’s a proven fact that women read emotions better than men.

 Many people get emotions and mood confused. We use them as the same word but psychologist have distinguished them. The simple difference between the two is that emotions last shorter than moods. You may argue with a friend about which brand of shoes is better Nike or Jordan and feel a little angry afterwards. However, moods last longer and can affect more than just that moment. They affect the way you feel and think. Can moods last long enough to affect your personality, the true you?

C.C.

Hambrick, David "Personality" Psychology 101. Wells Hall, East Lansing. November 14,2016. Lecture.