Emotions and The Brain

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Recommended: Human emotions and the effects of them

Everyone has emotions. Some people may have a lack of emotions but because of the hundreds of different emotions, everyone has at least a couple of emotions. Why do these emotions occur? How are they processed through the brain and then shown by our facial expressions or the way we hold our bodies? Our brains are made to watch for threats and rewards (Emotions and the Brain). When either one is detected the feeling region of the brain alerts the body through the release of chemical messages. Emotions are the product of these chemical messages. The emotion that someone may feel depends on the kind of chemical that is released. These chemicals aren’t the only thing that can produce an emotion. Your thoughts also contribute to the emotions a person may feel. There can also be problems with the way emotions are measured. Some examples of this are self-reports, behavioral observations, and physiological measures.
If someone tried to rob you would release stress hormones such as adrenaline or cortisol. These chemicals produce a flight or fight response. On the other side, if someone gave you a birthday present your brain may release dopamine, oxytocin, or serotonin (Emotions and the Brain). Your emotions, however, don’t solely rely on these chemical messages. Your thoughts can also come into play when expressing an emotion. In some situations the chemical message reaction time is so fast your feelings may take over your brain before you have time to think. An example of this would be a surprise party. When you walk into the party and you are surprised a big smile may come onto your face. This smile comes without thought and is the product of chemical messages being released from your brain. An example ...

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...ome from chemicals in the brain they do not know of a specific place where all emotions are created. The research done on emotions is expanding but limited due to self-reports, behavioral observations, and physiological measures. The brain is very complex and complicated but is being learned about every day. In the future researches will be able to measure them accurately and may have a more thorough understanding of emotions.

Works Cited

Emotions and the Brain. (2012, November 26). YouTube. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNY0AAUtH3g
Kalat, J. W. (1993). Introduction to psychology (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co..
Scheve, T. (n.d.). What are microexpressions?. HowStuffWorks. Retrieved November 17, 2013, from science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/microexpression.htm

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