Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

348 CHAPTER 8 Motivation and EmotionWhy would the Japanese emphasize interpersonal engagement as a dimension ofemotion? Japan is a collectivistic culture, so a person’s identity is seen as interdependentwith those of other people, rather than independent, as is characteristic ofthe more individualistic cultures. Thus, social context is an important part of privateemotional experience (Kitayama & Park, 2007).The Neuroscience of EmotionKey Theme• Emotions are associated with distinct patterns of responses by thesympathetic nervous system and in the brain.Key Questions• How is the sympathetic nervous system involved in intense emotionalresponses?• What brain structures are involved in emotional experience, and whatneural pathways make up the brain’s fear circuit?• How does the evolutionary perspective explain the dual brain pathwaysfor transmitting fear-related information?Psychologists have long studied the physiological aspects of emotion. Early researchfocused on the autonomic nervous system’s role in triggering physiological arousal.More recently, brain-imaging techniques have identified specific brain regions involvedin emotions. In this section, we’ll look at both areas of research.Arousal and Intense Emotion: Tears of JoyThis Indonesian woman sheds tears of joyat her soldier husband’s safe return from adistant war zone. Many intense emotionsinvolve the activation of the sympatheticnervous system. Although emotions likeextreme joy, fear, and grief subjectively feelvery different, they all involve increases inheart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.From an evolutionary perspective, the physicalarousal associated with intense emotionhelps gear people up to take action.Emotion and the Sympathetic Nervous SystemHot Heads and Cold FeetThe pounding heart, rapid breathing, trembling hands and feet, and churning stomachthat occur when you experience an intense emotion like fear reflect the activationof the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. When you arethreatened, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight-or-flight response, a rapidlyoccurring series of automatic physical reactions. Breathing and heart rate accelerate,and blood pressure surges. You perspire, your mouth goes dry, and the hairson your skin may stand up, giving you the familiar sensation of goose bumps. Yourpupils dilate, allowing you to take in a wider visual field. Blood sugar levels increase,providing a burst of energy. Digestion stops as blood is diverted from the stomachand intestines to the brain and skeletal muscles, sometimes causing the sensations oflight-headedness or “butterflies” fluttering in your stomach. The polygraph or “liedetector” measures these physiological reactions associated with emotional arousal.The sympathetic nervous system is also activated by other intense emotions,such as excitement, passionate love, or extreme joy. If you’ve ever ridden an excitingroller coaster, self-consciously given a speech in front of your peers, or been reunitedwith a loved one after a long absence, you’ve experienced the high levels ofphysiological arousal that can be produced by other types of emotions. Obviously,not all emotions involve intense physical reactions. And some emotions, such ascontentment, are characterized by decreased physical arousal and the slowing ofsome body processes (Levenson & others, 1990, 1992).Research has shown that there are differing patterns of physiological arousal fordifferent emotions (Ekman, 2003). In one series of studies, psychologist Robert W.Levenson (1992) found that fear, anger, and sadness are all associated with acceleratedheart rate. But comparing anger and fear showed differences that confirm everydayexperience. Anger produces greater increases in blood pressure than fear. Andwhile anger produces an increase in skin temperature, fear produces a decrease in skintemperature. Perhaps that’s why when we are angry, we speak of “getting hot underthe collar,” and when fearful, we feel clammy and complain of having “cold feet.”