Module 37: Experiencing Emotion

Question 1

What are the 10 basic emotions that include physiology and expressive behavior, and are isolated by Izard?

Answer 1

Joy, interest-excitement, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, contempt, fear, shame, and guilt

Question 2

What are the two dimensions that help differentiate emotions?

Answer 2

Positive vs. negative valence
Low vs. high arousal

Question 3

What are the causes of anger?

Answer 3

With threat or challenge, fear triggers flight, but anger triggers fight—each at times is an adaptive behavior.
Anger is most often evoked by misdeeds that we interpret as willful, unjustified, and avoidable.
Smaller frustrations and blameless annoyances can also trigger anger.

Question 4

What are the consequences of anger?

Answer 4

▪ Chronic hostility is linked to heart disease.
▪ Emotional catharsis may be temporarily calming but does not reduce anger over the long term.
▪ Expressing anger can make us more angry.
▪ Controlled assertions of feelings may resolve conflicts, and forgiveness may rid us of angry feelings.
▪ Anger communicates strength and competence, motivates action, and expresses grief when wisely used.

Question 5

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

Answer 5

people’s tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

Question 6

subjective well-being

Answer 6

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life, used along with measures of objective well-being to evaluate people’s quality of life

Question 7

positive psychology

Answer 7

Study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive

Question 8

Three pillars of positive psychology

Answer 8

positive well-being, positive character, communities/culture

Question 9

The Short Life of Emotional Ups and Downs

Answer 9

Emotional ups and downs tend to balance out; moods typically rebound.

Question 10

Wealth with Well-being

Answer 10

Wealth does correlate with well-being in some ways.
▪ Having resources to meet basic needs and maintain some control over life does “buy happiness.”
▪ Increasing wealth matters less once basic needs are met.
▪ Economic growth in affluent countries provides no apparent morale or social well-being boost.
▪ 82 percent of entering U.S. college students say that “being very well off financially” is “very important” or “essential”

Question 11

Adaptation-level phenomenon

Answer 11

▪ The tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience
▪ Prior experience partly influences feelings of satisfaction and dissatisfaction and success and failure.

Question 12

Comparison

Answer 12

▪ Satisfaction comes from income rank rather than income level.
▪ Relative deprivation is the perception that one is worse off relative to the comparison group.

Question 13

Happy people have…

Answer 13

Have high self- esteem (in individualist
countries).
Be optimistic, outgoing, agreeable, and
humorous.
Have close, positive, and lasting relationships.
Have work and leisure that engage their
skills.
Have an active religious faith (especially in
more religious cultures).
Sleep well and exercise.

Question 14

Happiness doesn’t affect…

Answer 14

age, physical attractiveness, Gender (women are more often depressed,
but also more often joyful)

Question 15

Evidence-based suggestions for a happier life

Answer 15

▪ Take control of your time
▪ Act happy
▪ Seek work and leisure that engage your skills
▪ Buy shared experiences rather than things
▪ Join the “movement” movement
▪ Give your body the sleep it wants
▪ Give priority to close relationships
▪ Focus beyond self
▪ Count your blessings and record your gratitude
▪ Nurture your spiritual self