Glossary
Adaptive Functions
The evolutionary purpose or survival benefits that emotions provide, such as motivating approach behaviors for positive experiences or avoidance behaviors for potential dangers.
Example:
The feeling of fear has an adaptive function because it prompts you to run away from a dangerous situation, increasing your chances of survival.
Broaden-and-Build Theory
A theory proposing that positive emotions broaden an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire, encouraging new thoughts and actions, while negative emotions tend to narrow focus.
Example:
Feeling excited about a new project (a positive emotion) might lead you to brainstorm many creative solutions, illustrating the broaden-and-build theory.
Cultural Display Rules
Social and cultural norms that dictate when, where, and how intensely emotions should be expressed, influencing the outward manifestation of internal emotional states.
Example:
In some cultures, it might be considered rude to show intense sadness at a funeral, demonstrating the influence of cultural display rules.
Early Theories of Emotion
Historical psychological frameworks that attempted to explain the relationship between physiological changes and cognitive experiences in the generation of emotions, sometimes proposing sequential or simultaneous occurrences.
Example:
The James-Lange theory, which suggests you feel fear after your heart races, is an example of an early theory of emotion.
Elicitors
The specific events, situations, or stimuli that trigger or provoke an emotional response.
Example:
For someone with a fear of heights, standing on a tall building would be an elicitor for their anxiety.
Emotions
Complex psychological processes that involve physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience, influencing how we think and act. Also known as affect.
Example:
When you feel a sudden rush of joy after acing a test, that complex experience of happiness is an emotion.
Facial-Feedback Hypothesis
The idea that your facial expressions can directly influence your emotional experience, suggesting that physiological changes can precede and even cause cognitive appraisal of emotion.
Example:
If you force yourself to smile during a boring meeting, the facial-feedback hypothesis suggests you might actually start to feel a little happier.
Negative Emotions
Emotions such as anger, sadness, and fear that can increase stress, impair decision-making, and potentially strain relationships, often serving to narrow focus and avoid danger.
Example:
Feeling intense negative emotions like anxiety before a presentation might make it harder to think clearly and remember your points.
Positive Emotions
Emotions like joy, love, and excitement that generally lead to beneficial outcomes such as improved mental and physical health, enhanced creativity, and stronger social bonds.
Example:
Experiencing positive emotions like gratitude after receiving help can make you more likely to offer help to others in the future.
Universal Emotions
Emotions that are believed to be recognized and expressed similarly across different cultures, often suggested to have an evolutionary basis for survival.
Example:
The expression of surprise, with wide eyes and an open mouth, is often considered one of the universal emotions recognized globally.