Many psychologists consider instinct and emotion similar in that both are automatic. For example, fear is both an emotion and an instinct. However, while instincts are immediate, irrational, and innate, emotions have the potential to be more rational and part of a complex feedback system linking biology, behavior, and cognition.
While researchers have not found any culture where people spontaneously smile when disgusted or frown when they are happy, they have found some oddities. For example, the Japanese have a harder time discerning anger in a face and they tended to mask their facial expression of unpleasant feelings more than did Americans.
Of all facial expressions, the smile may be the most deceptive. There are around 18 different smiles, including polite, cruel, false, self-effacing, and so one. But only one reflects genuine happiness; this is known as the Duchenne smile, in honor of the French neurologist who determined this phenomenon, Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne (de Boulogne).
Researchers note that the emotion most associated with fear is interest. Some psychologists have gone so far as to suggest that fear has two invisible faces: one, the wish to flee and, second, the wish to investigate.
Plato described emotion and reason as two horses pulling us in opposite directions. However, modern neurologist Antonio Damasio argues that reasoning depends on emotion and is not in opposition to emotion.
Body language often reveals emotion. For example, a person standing with their arms on hips with elbows turned outward is an example of a territorial display. Someone with their hands folded and their thumbs popped up indicates that he or she has something positive to say. Touching the nose indicates someone is hiding something.
A former FBI agent and specialist in nonverbal communication states that the “feet provide the strongest body language signals.”
Studies reveal that people recognize and interpret the emotional facial expressions of those in their own race faster than those who are a different race
From silent films to cartoons such as Tom and Jerry to films such as Psycho and Jaws, music is a widely used stimulus that evokes a variety of emotional responses.
Generally music in a major key is happy, while music in a minor key is sad. Spoken voices also reflect this tonality. Interestingly, certain emotional tones in music are cross-cultural.
A study of those with amnesia found that the emotions tied to a memory outlast the memories that created them. Researchers note this has important implications for those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Using its site WeFeelFine.org, Stanford University analyzed around 13 million emotions that have beenrecorded on the Web since 2005. They found older people are usually happier, but for different reasons. Younger people are happy when they are excited, older people are happier when they are at peace. Additionally, women tend to feel more loved than men, but also feel more guilt. Men often fell happier, yet lonelier. They also found that the happiest time of day is lunchtime
A human can make over 10,000 facial expressions to express a wide variety of subtle emotions.
Several scientists claim that there is always some emotion occurring in the body, but the emotion is too slight for us to notice or affect what we do