O que são EMOÇÕES e SENTIMENTOS?

NeuroVox

24 Aug 201612:47

Summary

TLDRThis script delves into the physiological and psychological aspects of emotions, explaining how they are automatic, unconscious responses orchestrated by the brain to ensure survival. It describes the body's reaction to stimuli, like the fear response to a shark, and how emotions drive behavior without conscious thought. The distinction between emotion and sentiment is clarified, with emotions being unconscious physiological responses and sentiments being the conscious perception of these emotional programs. The script also touches on the complexity of sentiments involving memories, ideas, and self-perception, and how understanding emotions can improve one's relationships and overall life.

Takeaways

🧠 Emotions are complex brain programs that trigger coordinated physiological responses throughout the body.
🏊‍♂️ The example of encountering a shark while diving illustrates the rapid and automatic nature of emotional responses.
🔍 Emotional responses are automatic and occur without conscious control, serving as a survival mechanism.
🚨 Fear, as an emotion, can cause a range of physical reactions, including pupil dilation, dry mouth, and redirection of blood flow to muscles.
💓 Positive emotions like joy can lead to approach behaviors, while negative emotions like fear can lead to avoidance behaviors.
🌡 Emotions operate on a scale of valence, from positive to negative, influencing our actions and decisions.
🤔 Emotions are predominantly unconscious, occurring below our level of perception, and only some become conscious as 'feelings'.
❤️ Feelings are the conscious perception of an emotional program, involving memories, ideas, and self-perception.
🧬 The brain structures and circuits responsible for emotions are different from those that mediate feelings, indicating distinct neurological processes.
📚 Understanding emotions and feelings can lead to better management of relationships and overall life quality.
📚 Antonio Damasio is a prominent expert on the biology of emotions, and his works provide further insight into this topic.

Q & A

What happens in the brain when we fall in love or experience intense emotions?
-The brain initiates a complex program of coordinated actions that involve the entire body, including changes in pupil dilation, mouth dryness, stomach and intestine functioning, and blood redirection to prioritize essential areas like muscles over non-essential areas like the digestive system.
Why does the body feel cold in the stomach when experiencing fear?
-The blood is redirected from non-essential areas to more important areas like muscles during fear, which can make the stomach area feel cold due to reduced blood flow.
What is the role of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol in emotional responses?
-Adrenaline and cortisol are hormones secreted into the bloodstream that increase heart rate and efficiency, preparing the body for action in response to a perceived threat or challenge.
Why does the brain cause a 'tunnel vision' effect during intense emotions?
-The brain becomes hyper-vigilant and focused on potential threats, causing a 'tunnel vision' effect where attention narrows to focus on immediate dangers, enhancing the ability to react quickly.
How are emotions related to our survival?
-Emotions are automatic responses that generate behavior that is biologically advantageous in a given situation, such as fleeing from danger or approaching something beneficial, ensuring our survival.
What is the difference between emotions and feelings?
-Emotions are automatic, unconscious physiological responses to stimuli, while feelings are the conscious perception of these emotional programs, involving partial awareness of the changes in the body.
Why are emotions often unconscious?
-Emotions are predominantly unconscious because they occur below the level of our perception, allowing for quick, automatic responses without the need for conscious processing.
How do emotions operate on a scale from positive to negative?
-Emotions operate on a scale of valence, with positive emotions inclining us towards approach behaviors and negative emotions towards avoidance behaviors.
Can emotions influence our behavior without us being aware of them?
-Yes, emotions can cause physiological changes and influence behavior unconsciously, affecting how we perceive and interact with our environment without our direct awareness.
What is the role of memory in feelings?
-Memory plays a significant role in feelings as it can trigger emotional responses and influence our conscious perception of emotions, such as recalling past experiences of love or fear.
How can understanding emotions and feelings help in managing personal and professional relationships?
-Understanding emotions and feelings can help in recognizing and managing our responses to various situations, improving communication, empathy, and overall effectiveness in personal and professional relationships.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Emotional Responses and Brain Mechanisms

The first paragraph delves into the physiological processes that occur within the human body when experiencing emotions. It uses the example of encountering a shark while diving to illustrate the automatic and complex response initiated by the brain, which includes pupil dilation, mouth dryness, and changes in stomach and intestine function. The blood is redirected to prioritize vital areas like muscles, leading to a 'cold in the stomach' sensation. The brain also commands the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, increasing heart rate and efficiency. This results in heightened vigilance and a 'tunnel vision' effect, focusing attention on potential threats. Emotions are described as automatic programs coordinated by the brain to manage bodily changes, which can range from microscopic hormone secretions to complex behaviors like fight or flight. These emotions are crucial for immediate action and survival, operating outside of conscious control.

05:01

🌊 Understanding Emotions and Their Triggers

The second paragraph explores the nature of emotions, distinguishing between emotions and feelings. Emotions are associated with stimuli, both external like a shark or internal like thoughts and memories, and they operate on a spectrum from positive to negative, known as the valence scale. Positive emotions incline us towards approach behaviors, while negative emotions drive avoidance behaviors. Emotions are predominantly unconscious, occurring below the level of perception, and only become feelings when we become consciously aware of them. The paragraph explains that feelings are the conscious perception of an emotional program, which is always partial as we are not fully aware of all the physiological changes that occur. The distinction between emotion and feeling is important because they involve different neural structures and processes in the brain, and not all emotional responses become conscious feelings.

10:02

💖 The Complexity of Feelings and Self-Awareness

The third paragraph discusses the psychological complexity of feelings, which are conscious and involve memories, ideas, plans, and self-perception. It explains that feelings are more than just physiological responses; they are intertwined with our identity and personality. The speaker argues that understanding the brain's orchestration of emotions and feelings does not detract from the beauty and magic of life but rather adds to it. By comprehending our emotional responses, we can better manage our relationships and life overall. The paragraph concludes by recommending works by António Damásio, a leading expert on the biology of emotions, and suggests further exploration of neurobiology in the field of neuroscience.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Emotion

Emotion refers to the complex psychological state that involves a strong feeling and physiological changes. In the video, it is described as a coordinated program by the brain that manages alterations throughout the body, such as pupil dilation and increased heart rate, particularly in response to stimuli like encountering a shark. Emotions are automatic and unconscious, playing a crucial role in generating behavior that is biologically advantageous for survival.

💡Physiological Response

Physiological response is the body's automatic reaction to a stimulus, which can be seen in the video's example of a person's body reacting to the perceived threat of a shark. This includes changes like dry mouth, stomach alteration, and the redirection of blood flow to muscles, illustrating the body's fight-or-flight mechanism.

💡Hormones

Hormones are chemical messengers in the body that regulate various functions, including the body's response to stress. In the context of the video, hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released into the bloodstream during emotional experiences, increasing heart rate and preparing the body for action.

💡Fight-or-Flight Response

The fight-or-flight response is an innate reaction to perceived threats, which prepares the body to either confront or escape danger. The video script describes this response in detail, explaining how the body redirects blood flow and releases hormones to prepare for immediate action when faced with a threat, such as a shark.

💡Consciousness

Consciousness in the video refers to the awareness of one's own thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. It is contrasted with the automatic nature of emotions, where the script mentions that once a person becomes conscious of their fear, they have already moved beyond the initial emotional response to a more cognitive state of feeling.

💡Feeling

Feeling is the conscious perception of an emotion, as explained in the video. It is the subjective experience of the physiological and emotional processes, which is often partial and not fully aware of all the changes occurring in the body. For instance, a person may feel fear but not be consciously aware of the exact changes in their pupil dilation.

💡Valence

Valence, in the context of the video, refers to the positive or negative quality of an emotion. Positive valence emotions incline individuals towards approach behaviors, while negative valence emotions lead to avoidance behaviors. This concept helps explain the motivation behind actions driven by different emotional states.

💡Unconscious

The term 'unconscious' is used in the video to describe the part of emotional processing that occurs without our awareness. Many emotional responses happen below the level of perception, such as the imperceptible sweating of one's palm when seeing a loved one, which is an example given in the script.

💡Stimuli

Stimuli are the external or internal triggers that evoke emotional responses. In the video, stimuli can be external, like a shark in the ocean, or internal, such as thoughts and memories. The script uses the example of seeing a photo of an ex-partner to illustrate how stimuli can unconsciously affect behavior and emotions.

💡Antonio Damasio

Antonio Damasio is a prominent neuroscientist mentioned in the video who specializes in the biology of emotions. His work is highlighted as significant in understanding the concepts discussed in the video, and his books are recommended for further reading on the subject.

💡Neurobiologia

Neurobiologia, or neurobiology in English, is the study of the nervous system and the biological processes that underlie behavior and cognition. The video mentions a chapter on the neurobiology of emotions in a book, indicating the scientific exploration of the brain's role in emotional experiences.

Highlights

Emotions and feelings are explained as automatic responses coordinated by the brain that trigger changes throughout the body.

The brain initiates a complex action program in response to stimuli, such as encountering a shark, which recruits the entire body for a series of changes.

Physiological responses to fear include dilated pupils, dry mouth, altered stomach function, and redirection of blood flow to prioritize essential areas like muscles.

Emotions are described as intelligent mechanisms of nature that prompt immediate action without wasting time, crucial for survival.

Emotions are automatic and beyond our collective control, contrasting with the idea that we can control emotions with our will.

Emotions are always associated with stimuli, which can be external or derived from mental content like ideas and memories.

Emotions operate on a scale from positive to negative, influencing our approach or avoidance behaviors.

The distinction between emotion and feeling is highlighted, with emotions being unconscious and feelings being the conscious perception of emotional programs.

Feelings involve psychological complexity, integrating memories, ideas, plans, and self-perception, making them different from the physiological response of emotions.

António Damásio is mentioned as a leading expert on the biology of emotions, with his work emphasizing the importance of understanding emotions for better life management.

The transcript discusses the unconscious nature of emotions, often only becoming conscious when we reflect on them, such as after seeing a photo of an ex-lover.

The unconscious emotional response can affect behavior throughout the day without our immediate awareness.

The beauty of understanding the physiological orchestra in our brain when experiencing emotions like love or fear is emphasized.

The transcript challenges the notion that analyzing emotions from a brain function perspective takes away from the beauty and magic of life's affective experiences.

Books by António Damásio, 'Descartes' Error' and 'The Brain Takes Care of the Body', are recommended for further understanding of emotions.

The transcript suggests that understanding emotions and feelings can improve the management of professional relationships, affections, friendships, and overall life.

The transcript concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, share, and subscribe for more content on emotions and the brain.