What is Emotion?

• • includes “cognitive evaluations, subjective changes, autonomic and neural arousal, and impulses to action”
  • an internal process that modifies the way an organism responds to a certain class of external stimuli

  Emotions
• the autonomic arousal and skeletal actions come first. What you experience as an emotion is the label you give to your responses: You feel afraid because you run away; you feel angry because you attack.

  James-Lange theory
• output from the autonomic nervous system to the body fails, either completely or almost completely.

  pure autonomic failure
• blocks transmission at synapses and nerve-muscle junctions.

  Botulinum toxin (“BOTOX”)
• marked by extreme sympathetic nervous system arousal

  panic attack
• cannot move their facial muscles to make a smile

  Möbius syndrome
• the forebrain areas surrounding the thalamus—has been regarded as critical for emotion

  limbic system
• strongly activated if you see a disgusting picture

  insular cortex
• marked by low to moderate autonomic arousal and a tendency to approach, which could characterize either happiness or anger.

  Behavioral Activation System (BAS)
• which increases attention and arousal, inhibits action, and stimulates emotions such as fear and disgust.

  Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)