Psihology Blog

Psihology Blog 7 Amazing Facts About Emotions You Should Know
Understanding how emotions work empowers you to naviga

We care more about a single person than about massive tragedies.In another University of Pennsylvania study, one group l...
02/05/2022

We care more about a single person than about massive tragedies.
In another University of Pennsylvania study, one group learned about a little girl who was starving to death, another learned about millions dying of hunger, and a third learned about both situations. People donated more than twice as much money when hearing about the little girl than when hearing the statistics—and even the group who'd heard her story in the context of the bigger tragedy donated less. Psychologists think that we're wired to help the person in front of us, but when the problem feels too big, we figure our little part isn't doing much.

Beginnings and ends are easier to remember than middles.
When people are asked to recall items from a list, they're most likely to think of things from the very end, or from the very beginning, found one study published in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience. The middle gets muddled, which could also play into why you remember your boss wrapping up her presentation, but not so much about the middle.

It takes five positive things to outweigh a single negative thing.
Our brains have something called a "negativity bias" that makes us remember bad news more than good, which is why you quickly forget that your coworker complimented your presentation but keep dwelling on the fact that a kid at the bus stop insulted your shoes. To feel balanced, we need at least a five to one ration of good to bad in our lives.

Food tastes better when someone else makes it.
Ever wonder why that sandwich from the takeout place down the street tastes better than the ones you make at home, even if you use the same ingredients? One study published in the journal Science found that when you make yourself a meal, you're around it so long that it feels less exciting by the time you actually dig in—and that, subsequently, decreases your enjoyment.

5. Emotions are contagious. Feelings spread between people like a virus, even if we’re not paying attention to emotions....
01/05/2022

5. Emotions are contagious. Feelings spread between people like a virus, even if we’re not paying attention to emotions. Whether we’re in a group or with one other person, we can “catch” both positive and negative emotions. The evolutionary basis of this is simple: humans have only survived and thrived in groups. We are social creatures. And because of that, we have a tendency to pick up on each other’s emotional states. Think about it this way. If you see fear on someone’s face, you are more likely to survive if you react quickly – if your own fear response is activated instantaneously. It could be the difference between getting eaten by that tiger your friend just saw – or getting away.

And it’s not just fear. We are constantly sending and picking up emotional messages through a number of mechanisms, including voice inflection, facial expressions, posture and specific behavioral patterns. It’s an incredibly important form of communication that we all partake in, even if we don’t realize it. It’s so deeply wired that we unknowingly imitate the slowness of old people, which is one of my all time favorite facts about emotions.

A study by Facebook and Cornell University found that emotional contagion even happens on social media. We are deeply wired.



6. Emotions are different than feelings – and moods. But they are all interrelated, of course. What is the difference? Basically, time. And to what extent our cognitive thoughts are involved. For an in-depth look at the difference, check out this article, What’s the Difference Between Emotions, Feelings, and Moods?

3. Emotions are neutral. That is to say, some emotions are not inherently good and others bad. It may seem this way, sin...
01/05/2022

3. Emotions are neutral. That is to say, some emotions are not inherently good and others bad. It may seem this way, since, for example, joy seems to be a clear winner over sadness. I mean, who wants to be sad? But there are two problems with this way of thinking. The first problem is that joy and sadness have more in common than we think. Joy means I get something I care about. Sadness means I lose something I care about. So they are really two sides of the same need, and we couldn’t have one without the other. And the second problem is that every emotion is simply a signal, delivering a message. Even difficult emotions like fear, anger or sadness are serving an important function.

So, what are the functions of emotions?





4. Emotions function to guide us to survive and thrive. Emotions focus our attention and motivate us toward a specific course of action. Each emotion has a purpose. Take anger, for example. Anger is a signal that our path is blocked. It focuses our attention on the threat and motivates a response of fighting or pushing through the obstacle. It can be used destructively, of course, but it also gives us the energy to find solutions to pressing problems. And what about another emotion, like Joy? Joy focuses our attention on an opportunity, and motivates us to do more of whatever we are doing. We feel joy when we experience meaning and connection, and the purpose of the emotion is to tell us that those are good things, which we should seek out. Six Seconds developed a tool called the Emotoscope Feeling Chart, which helps decode the purpose and meaning of different feelings. It has dozens of feelings – all variations of Sadness, Joy, Fear, and Anger – and then the message that each emotion is sending. For example, the other day, I was feeling overwhelmed by life. I was too busy and my head was swimming. I looked at the chart and under sad, I found overwhelmed. What was the purpose of that feeling? To let you know you need to prioritize. You can down the Emotoscope Feeling Chart for free and keep a copy at your home or office.

Beginnings and ends are easier to remember than middles.When people are asked to recall items from a list, they're most ...
30/04/2022

Beginnings and ends are easier to remember than middles.
When people are asked to recall items from a list, they're most likely to think of things from the very end, or from the very beginning, found one study published in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience. The middle gets muddled, which could also play into why you remember your boss wrapping up her presentation, but not so much about the middle.
It takes five positive things to outweigh a single negative thing.
Our brains have something called a "negativity bias" that makes us remember bad news more than good, which is why you quickly forget that your coworker complimented your presentation but keep dwelling on the fact that a kid at the bus stop insulted your shoes. To feel balanced, we need at least a five to one ration of good to bad in our lives.

Food tastes better when someone else makes it.
Ever wonder why that sandwich from the takeout place down the street tastes better than the ones you make at home, even if you use the same ingredients? One study published in the journal Science found that when you make yourself a meal, you're around it so long that it feels less exciting by the time you actually dig in—and that, subsequently, decreases your enjoyment.

"Catching" a yawn could help us bond.Why do you yawn when someone else does, even if you aren't tired? There are a few t...
30/04/2022

"Catching" a yawn could help us bond.
Why do you yawn when someone else does, even if you aren't tired? There are a few theories about why yawning is contagious, but one of the leading ones is that it shows empathy. People who are less likely to show empathy—such as toddlers who haven't learned it yet or young people with autism—are also less likely to yawn in reaction to someone else's.

We care more about a single person than about massive tragedies.
In another University of Pennsylvania study, one group learned about a little girl who was starving to death, another learned about millions dying of hunger, and a third learned about both situations. People donated more than twice as much money when hearing about the little girl than when hearing the statistics—and even the group who'd heard her story in the context of the bigger tragedy donated less. Psychologists think that we're wired to help the person in front of us, but when the problem feels too big, we figure our little part isn't doing much.

Address

Миру Улица , корп. 90, кв. 57
Ivano-Frankivsk
469034

Telephone

+380999598665

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Psihology Blog posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Psihology Blog:

Shortcuts

Share

Category