The Science of Emotions: How Your Brain Creates Feelings
From neural pathways to facial expressions – the psychology behind emotional experiences
1. Major Theories of Emotion
Fig 1: Evolution of emotion theories
James-Lange
“We feel sad because we cry”
Cannon-Bard
Body and emotion occur together
Schachter-Singer
Context determines emotion
2. The Emotional Brain
Fig 2: Key limbic system structures
Key Findings:
- Amygdala activates 300ms faster for threat detection
- Prefrontal cortex regulates emotions after 500ms
- Damage to amygdala causes impaired fear recognition
3. Science-Backed Emotion Regulation
Fig 3: Emotion regulation strategies
Cognitive Reappraisal
Reframing thoughts reduces emotional intensity by 45%
Mindfulness
8-week practice shrinks amygdala 19%
🔑 Emotion Essentials
- Emotions involve body, brain, and cognition
- The amygdala is your emotional alarm system
- Reappraisal is the healthiest regulation strategy
- Basic emotions are culturally universal (Ekman, 1972)