Emotion Information
Emotions emerge from thoughts and feelings and are either positive or negative.
We have control over our emotions but most of us don't try to control them. For example, something might happen and your initial reaction could be to be mad, but you could take control over these emotions, and change how you feel. Research shows that you are more relaxed when showing positive emotions. Emotions can affect the nervous system and how well it works. Emotions are often used to express feelings. Emotion, behaviour and cognition all influence each other. (Cognition – the process of thought).
Psychology is the study of mind and behaviour. I will discussing what affects human emotions.
What Affects Human Emotions - Other People
Other People
It could be something someone says or does, whether they or a friend or an enemy, it could have an effect on your emotion. Our emotions can be affected by the people around us, teacher, boss, parent, sibling, spouse, anyone. For example the relationship between a student and a teacher could have affect on how effectively the student learns.
Other people’s body language can affect our mood. When we are in contact with someone who smiles, we are most likely to smile and be happy in return. When we are in contact with someone who is sad or grieving, we often feel sad or unhappy ourselves.
What Affects Human Emotions - Weather
Weather
An obvious but unpreventable affect on human emotion is the weather. Areas with a lot of sunshine report fewer cases of depression, and places with longer winters and more cloud cover report a higher frequency of sadness and depression.
The most severe form of weather-based emotion is known as SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. Patients exhibit signs of severe hopelessness or anxiety, particularly during the winter months, or during periods when the sun never comes out.
Your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), regulates your body's sleep. Some studies suggest that shorter days and reduced sunlight may disrupt your circadian rhythm, leading to sadness and depression.
Some of the main weather scenarios related to emotions are:
On a warm sunny day, when the sun is shining brightly with no clouds in the sky. -------> You are most likely to feel motivated, happy and cheerful.
On a short winter day, it is snowing and very cold or on a wet day when it is pouring rain. ---------> You may feel sad, depressed or unmotivated.
What Affects Human Emotions - Colours
Colours
Some simple examples of how colours affect emotions are that bright colours keep your mind more alert and dull colours make you feel sad.
Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.
Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.
There is a type of therapy that uses colour to heal people and has been used in several ancient cultures such as Egyptian and Chinese. These are the uses of the colours:
· Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.
· Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.
· Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.
· Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.
· Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems.
How do colours affect your emotions?
What Affects Human Emotions - Caffeine / Food
Caffeine / Food
Caffeine is one of the three most widely used mood affecting drugs in the world.
For some people caffeine can help relieve stress and calm the mind. Caffeine affects each person’s emotions differently.
Our lives revolve around food from the time we are infants all through our lives. As an infant you rely on emotions to help communicate. When you were hungry it would make you sad and to express these feeling you would cry. After your parents fed you, you stopped crying because you were happy. As we grow up we use food to celebrate, such as weddings, birthdays and holidays. (Thanksgiving = Turkey).
Caffeine is one of the three most widely used mood affecting drugs in the world.
For some people caffeine can help relieve stress and calm the mind. Caffeine affects each person’s emotions differently.
Our lives revolve around food from the time we are infants all through our lives. As an infant you rely on emotions to help communicate. When you were hungry it would make you sad and to express these feeling you would cry. After your parents fed you, you stopped crying because you were happy. As we grow up we use food to celebrate, such as weddings, birthdays and holidays. (Thanksgiving = Turkey).
How do caffeine and food affect your emotions?
What Affects Human Emotions - Music
Music
Music stimulates different sections of the brain, and can very easily influence you emotions. The best part about music is that you can control how it makes you feel by choosing the type of music that you want to listen to. The emotion created by a piece of music may be affected by memories associated with the piece, by the environment it is being played in, by the mood of the person listening and their personality.
Music stimulates different sections of the brain, and can very easily influence you emotions. The best part about music is that you can control how it makes you feel by choosing the type of music that you want to listen to. The emotion created by a piece of music may be affected by memories associated with the piece, by the environment it is being played in, by the mood of the person listening and their personality.
Several characteristics have been suggested that might influence the emotion of music. For example, major keys and rapid tempos cause happiness, minor keys and slow tempos cause sadness, and rapid tempos together with dissonance cause fear. Studies have shown that infants as young as 4 months old show negative reactions to these types of music.
Music can calm and revitalize us in ways that even a long nap could not.
Try listening to classical music for a sense of power. Soft lullaby-like music to unwind. Medium-fast to fast selections for exercise and housecleaning.
Entertainment - At the most fundamental level music provides stimulation. It lifts the mood before going out, it passes the time while doing the washing up, it accompanies travelling, reading and surfing the web.
-Revival - Music revitalises in the morning and calms in the evening.
Strong sensation - Music can provide deep, thrilling emotional experiences, particularly while performing.
-Diversion - Music distracts the mind from unpleasant thoughts which can easily fill the silence.
-Discharge - Music matching deep moods can release emotions: purging and cleansing.
-Mental work - Music encourages daydreaming, sliding into old memories, exploring the past.
-Solace - Shared emotion, shared experience, a connection to someone lost.
These seven strategies all aim for two goals: controlling and improving mood. One of the beauties of music is it can accomplish more than one goal at a time. Uplifting music can divert, entertain and revive. Sad, soulful music can provide solace, encourage mental work and discharge emotions. The examples are endless. Music can also influence people on decisions that they make.
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