10 amazing psychological facts about feelings and emotions
Human beings are emotional beings, and for that reason we can come to seem irrational in some occasions . In fact, our most emotional part influences us even in making important decisions. Antonio Damasio said: "Emotion is a necessary ingredient in almost all decisions we make." The truth is that emotions and strong feelings are capable of moving the world. Therefore, today's post is dedicated to this topic
10 psychological facts about the feelings and emotions of human beings
1. Without realizing it, the mood of other people affects us
Almost without realizing it, we are deeply affected by other people's moods. Experts call this phenomenon "emotional contagion." This is a natural process in which mirror neurons participate, and which allow us to reflect the emotions of other people, as a Ginger Blume research conducted in 2007 concludes.
2. Emotional pain hurts just like physical love
In recent years, neuroimaging studies have shown that the regions involved in physical pain processing overlap those related to emotional pain and social anguish (Jaffe, 2013).
3. There is a phobia of falling in love: Filofobia
The fear of being in love receives the name of Filofobia. This condition is part of anxiety disorders and affects the social and emotional life of the person who suffers. In severe cases, the philophobe may not only avoid potential love affairs, but may stop relating to co-workers, neighbors, friends and family
To learn more about this disorder, you can visit our article: "Filofobia or the fear of falling in love"
4. When we embrace, we release oxytocin
Do you know why they feel hugs so good? Why when we embrace, we release a hormone called oxytocin . This hormone is of great importance in the formation of confidence and has an important role in social interactions. Reptiles release oxytocin during sexual intercourse, but mammals produce it all the time. That is why reptiles stay away from other reptiles except when they mate, while mammals form attachments with relatives, litters or herds.
5. Different daily experiences can exhaust one's ability to resist moral temptations
Do we always act equal in the face of temptation? It seems it is not the case. One study (Kouchaki, 2013) states that people are more likely to have less self-control when they are tired . On the other hand, another study concluded that people have less self-control as the workday progresses (Barnes et al., 2014).
These results could be linked to another study, from Florida State University, which states that restoring glucose to an optimal level usually improves self-control. And it turns out that in 2009, the Stanford University School of Medicine found that circadian rhythms are directly related to the mechanism that processes blood sugar. Therefore, fatigue could be associated with the reduction of willpower in the face of immoral temptations.
This could happen in both directions. That is, people would tend immoral behavior when they are tired due to lack of self-control. But the lack of self-control can also affect people, causing them to lower their guard and succumb to immoral temptations.
6. Emotional desensitization of parents can be bad for children
The desensitization is defined as the decrease in emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure the same. In a recent study, it was shown that when parents are desensitized about violence and sex in movies, they become more permissive about the exposure of their children to this type of movie (Romer, 2014).
7. Chocolate is the love drug
Chocolate has been considered an aphrodisiac, but it has also been called the love drug. And it is not precisely because we are used to giving chocolates together with some flowers to show love to our partner. But, then, what is the reason? For chocolate contains tryptophan, a chemical that helps produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter related to happiness, and plays an important role in mood, emotional well-being and the correct balance of appetite and sleep.
In addition, chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a neurotransmitter that participates in promoting attraction, and stimulates the brain areas related to pleasure. In the lack of love, the levels of these two substance descends. Because, when a sentimental couple leaves us we stuff ourselves with chocolate to supply this deficit .
8. Psychological science states that emotions are four and not six
Since the American psychologist Paul Ekman proposed for the first time that there were a total of six basic emotions, this has been the popular belief. According to Ekman, the emotions were: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust .
Now, a study published in Current Biology and carried out by researchers from Glasgow University, in the United Kingdom, affirms that the basic emotions are 4.
To know more about this study, in this article by psychologist Bertrand Regader we explain it to you: "Study shows that the basic emotions are four, and not six as was believed"9. Mirror neurons are related to empathy
Mirror neurons are key to the harmonization of individuals with the environment, since they allow capturing the emotions of others, not through conceptual reasoning but through direct experience. The cause of you blushing when you see someone when you are being humiliated, or that you identify with a person when you are crying, is because of the mirror neurons. Ramachandran says that these neurons give us the ability to empathize, that is, that makes us feel what others feel.
10. Laughter and humor are a form of therapy
There are many types of psychological therapy that exist. One of them is laughter therapy, an alternative therapy that consists of creating situations that encourage laughter and humor . In this way it is possible to relieve physical and emotional tensions. The benefits of laughter therapy are many.
To know this form of therapy better, you just have to click on this link: "Laughter therapy: the psychological benefits of laughter"
