Emotions, Stress and Human Relations

1
Chapter 4

• Emotions, Stress and Human Relations

2
Research on Emotions

• Ignored emotion, preferred rational thought
• Amygdala is linked to fear and anger
• Positive emotions, left hemisphere negative
  emotions, right hemisphere
• Brain chemicals affect emotions
• Facial expressions affect emotions

3
Thoughts Influence Emotions

• Activating Event
• Cognitive Appraisal
• Self-talk

4
Irrational Beliefs

• Catastrophizing making it worse than it is (Bad
  omen?)
• Overgeneralization Will it always be this way?
  (always or never)
• Or just often?
• The myth of causation.
• Albert Ellis ABC model
• Aactivating event Cconsequent emotion
  Bintervening beliefs/thoughts
• Are you afraid of hurting someones feelings?
• Letting the pot boil (over).

5
Irrational Beliefs

• The need for approval
• Everyone must like me
• Leads to compromise
• Compromise leads to confusion/cognitive
  dissonance
• The tyranny of shoulds
• Just world hypothesis
• If we try to live right, we should be blessed or
  rewarded.
• People get what they deserve
• Blaming the victim

6
Irrational Beliefs

• Perfectionism
• I should be able to handle this.
• Dont get help.
• Dont accept yourself.
• Myth of helplessness.
• I cant do anything about the situation.

7
Addressing Irrational Beliefs

• Self-talk
• Cognitive therapy

8
Sadness Are you depressed?

• Are you physically tired for no reason?
• Do you feel worthless?
• Do you feel hopeless?
• Have you lost interest in activities?
• Have you lost interest in people?
• Have your eating or sleeping habits changed?
• Can you think clearly? Or do you feel foggy?

9
What causes sadness depression?

• Life events (loss, grief)
• Depressive realism
• Pessimistic thought patterns
• Physical exhaustion
• Depression is contagious
• Guilt
• Unforgiveness, grudges

10
What to do about sadness.

• Cognitively appraise the problem
• Treat yourself
• Exercise
• Socialize
• Laugh, find something funny
• Distract, read a good book
• Accomplish something
• Small chore
• Help someone else
• If non of these are working, or you cant make
  yourself do them, get help.

11
Anger

• Anger is an emotion.
• Aggression is a behavior.

12
Direct Expression of Anger

• Constructive
• Count to 10
• Do not ambush
• Choose your battles
• Destructive
• Physical aggression
• Verbal aggression, e.g., name-calling
• Relational aggression, e.g., gossip,slander

13
Indirect Expression of Anger

• Destructive
• Getting drunk, doing drugs
• Tearing up property
• Displacement
• Catharsis (letting off steam) does not work very
  well
• Constructive
• Exercise
• Relaxation
• Psychological Detachment (The situation, but not
  your reaction, may be out of your control.)
• Cognitive restructuring )accentuate the positive)
• Prayer and meditation

14
Express Your Anger

• Do express your anger.
• Unexpressed anger does not go away.
• Over time it will build up and cause trouble.
• Special cases.
• Anger with yourself.
• Anger with God.

15
Happiness

• What is it and what factors are related to it?

16
Subjective Well-Being

• self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with
  life
• used along with measures of objective well-being
• physical and economic indicators to evaluate
  peoples quality of life

17
Experiencing Emotion

• Does money buy happiness?

18
Experiencing Emotion

• Feel-good, do-good phenomenon
• peoples tendency to be helpful when already in a
  good mood

19
Experiencing Emotion

• Values and life satisfaction

20
Experiencing Emotion

• Adaptation-Level Phenomenon
• tendency to form judgments relative to a
  neutral level
• brightness of lights
• volume of sound
• level of income
• defined by our prior experience
• Relative Deprivation
• perception that one is worse off relative to
  those with whom one compares oneself

21
Experiencing Emotion
22
Other Factors Affecting Happiness

• Perceived personal control
• Set and achieve realistic goals
• Optimism
• Genetics?
• Left hemisphere, frontal lobe
• Easy temperament

23
How to be happier

• Keep busy with challenging, but manageable tasks
• Count your blessings
• Find good relationships, social networks
• Look on the bright side
• Exercise (regularly)
• Laugh!