This document discusses various topics related to emotions. It covers basic emotions like fear and anger that are biologically driven as well as more complex emotions shaped by experience and culture. Both positive and negative emotions are contagious and influence memory, behavior, and social connections. While negative emotions narrow thinking, positive emotions broaden it and build resilience through increased dopamine. The sharing of emotional content online, especially positive messages, impacts interactions and the spread of information.

1. Emotions
DR. PAMELA RUTLEDGE

2. Basic Emotions
Theorists don’t agree on
the short list of basic
emotions.
There are six emotions
identifiably through
facial expressions across
cultures.
Secondary and tertiary
emotions (jealously,
gratitude, altruism) all
link back to the core.

3. Emotions
Emotion vs. Mood vs. Traits
◦ Emotions are a response to something (happy, angry, frustrated, grossed out)
◦ Moods are a free-floating feeling (depressed, optimistic)
◦ Traits are a stable personality tendency (happy person, anxious person
◦ Traits increase the likelihood of experiencing certain emotional responses
Two systems: biological and socio-cognitive
◦ Some emotions are primarily biological (fear, anger)
◦ Others arise from experience and cultural influence (gratitude)
◦ Emotions are quasi-automatic – an interaction of biology and cognition
◦ They don’t dictate behavior, but they can define the menu of choices
Emotional responses evident in:
◦ Subjective experience (what we think is going on),
◦ Facial expression (usually without our intention) and
◦ Changes in body chemistry (physiological changes)

4. Evolutionary Framework:
Avoid/Approach
positive
negative
high
arousal
low
arousal

5. The Impact of
Negative Emotions
•Many theorists believe that specific emotions lead
to specific behavioral tendencies (not actual
behaviors—nobody believes that)
•The connection is clearest in negative emotions
•Negative emotions:
• Trigger survival mechanisms
• Activate stress systems
• Responses vary based on individual and situation:
Flight, fight or freeze
• Narrow cognitive capacity and creativity (blood all sent
to extremities to be prepared for action; brain under-
staffed)

6. The Impact of
Positive Emotions
The response to positive emotions is less clear
Upward spiral theory: positive emotions build upon each
other
◦ Behavioral flexibility; more open-minded, outside the box thinking
◦ Evolutionary correlate to survival instinct: ability to flourish
◦ Enhances personal, social and physical resources
◦ Facilitates social connection and collaboration
◦ Broadens urge for personal growth, exploration and thought expansion
◦Examples:
◦Joy creates urge to play, push the limits, be creative and manifests
in intellectual and artistic behavior.
◦Pride creates urges to shared news with others and envision
greater achievements in the future
◦Contentment urge to savor life

7. Emotion & Body Chemistry
Positive emotions are linked to
increases in dopamine levels in
reward center
◦ More open-mindedness and creativity,
increased resilience
Behavior can drive our beliefs and
emotions (Fake it ‘til you make it)
◦ Allows us to avoid anxiety when we experience
conflicts between who we think we are and
what we are doing or feeling
Smiling changes your body chemistry
(even a pencil in your teeth)
◦ Smiling at other people changes your chemistry
and theirs; people instinctively mirror emotions
in interpersonal relationships
Talking about yourself and recalling
happy memories activates the neural
reward system.

8. Emotional Contagion
Emotions are contagious. Our
emotions are influenced by those
around us (and vice versa)
Positive Emotions Spread
◦ Happiness spreads across networks;
you can be infected by someone you
haven’t met
◦ Happy people tend to be the center
of their social networks (each happy
friend increases your probability of
being happy by 9%)
◦ People perform better as individuals
when they are around happy people.
Negative Emotions Spread
◦ Negative emotions, i.e. fear, anxiety,
anger, are contagious, too.
◦ ‘Second hand negativity’ has physical effects:
fatigue, low energy, depression.
One theory says negative emotions
are easier to catch because of our
survival instinct
However, research shows that
positive emotions attract more
people

9. Emotion & Memory
•Emotionally charged events are remembered most
• Pleasant emotions are remembered better than unpleasant ones
• Positive memories contain more contextual details (which in turn, helps memory)
•Strong emotion can disrupt memory for less emotional information received at
the same time
• (Your ad will block out a competitor’s if yours triggers a lot of emotion)
• Emotional arousal, not the information, helps memory
• “Flashbulb memories” – emotions highlight an event as it’s captured for memory.
• Our mood influences what we remember.
• We remember more happy stuff when we’re happy and vice versa.
• We also filter stuff by our mood. Kind of sad things are REALLY sad when we’re depressed.
• The stronger the emotions aroused, the greater the effect on memory
• Emotions can be evoked, or minimized, by displaying or suppressing expressions of
emotion
• Different emotional states may impair or help memory, for different memory tasks

10. Emotional Sharing
Sharing messaging is a personal endorsement (WOM) and a form of self-
representation.
◦ People are more likely to share things that are useful, uplifting or funny.
◦ Users share emotional arousal, but prefer good to bad
People mirror emotions in content: they respond positively to positive messages
Twitter users with the most followers have more positive posts
Upvoting and downvoting impact content quality in a community
◦ Upvoting provides social validation and triggers the neural reward system
◦ Downvoting leads to lower-quality content
◦ Downvoting triggers the attack system (fight or flight) and creates payback to ease cognitive dissonance.
Sharing positive content improves the reputation of the sender