FINAL PAPER: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

DISCUSSION

What are the non-biological stimuli that affect people emotions?

Definition of Emotions

Emotion when defined as a phrase, according to the Oxford Dictionary emotion is “a strong feeling deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others” but emotion is not just a simple term, it just have also scientific explanation.

According to James Glenwright on his article “NYU Professor Explains How Emotions Work” he clearly states that emotion is one of the difficult to define. However, in the past two decades the technology was advance that allowed the neuroscientist to assume some reason that the mind and emotion are dependent on biological reasons, but when the brain has over 100 billion neurons with millions of miles of wiring how can scientists even begin to grasp how emotion works.

The professor of NYU named Mr. Joseph LeDoux quickly explained that human emotion are represented by animals but rather to understand the term that refer to brain function and behaviour such as fight or flight responses, energy management and homeostasis.

According to Glenwright on the same article “Unfortunately, even neuroscientists are having difficulty trying to define emotion, let alone understand it. Along with the mind, emotion has been understood as an intangible part of the human psyche, transcending the realm of biological mechanisms. In the words of the 20th century philosopher Gilbert Ryle, “the body and the mind are ordinarily harnessed together, but after the death of the body the mind may continue to exist and function.”

In this article Glenwright clearly states that emotion is comes from the brain, they did some experiment on how emotion works they try it on rat. That same as mind of human.

Emotions come from the brain. However, emotions can be affected by factors outside the body. These factors will be the topic of this discussion.

 II. Non-Biological Factors that Affect Emotions

A. Music

Everyone experiences certain moments where their want to express themself in a different way and sometimes music is the best companion. Everyone loves music in every genre there are emotions behind it.

Belle Beth Cooper wrote an article entitled “8 Surprising Ways Music Affects and benefits our brain.” In this article, Copper talks the 8 ways music affects our brain. The first one is about happy or sad music affects neutral faces, Cooper clearly state that emotion are dependent to the music that people heard. If the music is not sad nor happy it is also match in people emotion.

There are 2 kinds of emotion that are related to music:

Perceived emotion: the conscious recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli that serve as a basis for understanding, learning, and knowing or for motivating a particular action or reaction.

Felt emotion: This is kinds of emotion that on we herd that is what people feel.

Cooper also talks about noise can improve creative. When people hear moderate noise people minds can be difficult in abstract processing, leading to higher creativity. However high noise level will be impaired because we’re overwhelmed and struggle to process information efficiently.

However music also predicts human personality, in ever genre of music there is specific human personality. Blues fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing, gentle and at ease unlike Jazz fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing and at ease. Classical music fans have high self-esteem, are creative, introvert and at ease, but Rap fans have high self-esteem and are outgoing. Some Opera fans have high self-esteem, are creative and gentle, however Country and western fans are hardworking and outgoing. Reggae fans have high self-esteem, are creative, not hardworking, outgoing, gentle and at ease, on the other hand Dance fans are creative and outgoing but not gentle. Somehow Indie fans have low self-esteem, are creative, not hard working, and not gentle, either way Bollywood fans are creative and outgoing. Rock/heavy metal fans have low self-esteem, are creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, and at ease but Chart pop fans have high self-esteem, are hardworking, outgoing and gentle, but are not creative and not at ease. Soul fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing, gentle, and at ease

According to Cooper in the same article “It turns out that a moderate noise level is the sweet spot for creativity. Even more than low noise levels, ambient noise apparently gets our creative juices flowing, and doesn’t put us off the way high levels of noise do. The way this works is that moderate noise levels increase processing difficulty which promotes abstract processing, leading to higher creativity. In other words, when we struggle (just enough) to process things as we normally would, we resort to more creative approaches.”

In every of music’s there is corresponding emotion. People tend to make some music that depends on their emotion. If they feel alone they write some lyrics that sad.  Some music artist are depend on their mood on what they sing. They sing it with full emotion.

B. Food

Many people believe that food helps us relieve sadness, disappointment and misery. Some people believe that this is true, some do not. Some people tend to get fat because they make food as their anti-depressant. But this is true food is one way to relieve sadness or depression this is scientifically proven.

Elaine Magee MPH RD wrote an article entitled “How food affects your mood.” In this article Magee states that the primary cause of this is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates have tryptophan’s, an amino acid, which is responsible for the improvement of the mood of a person when eating the more the tryptophan entering the brain the more the serotonin is synthesized. Serotonin is also known as the mood regulator is made naturally in the brain from tryptophan with some help from the B-Vitamins.

According to Magee “While tryptophan is found in almost all protein – reach foods, other amino acids are better at passing from the blood stream into the brain so you can actually boost your tryptophan levels by eating more carbohydrates.”

The researcher states that food is really antidepressant when people are sad, eating makes people feel better, it also helps to relax and find peace with them. When people eat they experience the effect of food in their mood.

C. Scent

Women loves men especially if men are smell good and nice, men also loves women especially when woman are sweet. A scent of someone is powerful in term of liking someone. This is also important in threating other. Every scent we smell people emotion has also change. There is corresponding emotion or mood in scent.

Deanna Dean wrote an article called, “Human Behaviour and Emotions Altered by Scents.” In this article, Dean talks about sense of smell, which is the most complex and unique structure. A good aroma brings to mind emotion. The influence of roasted aroma in brain is that in changes the mRNA and protein levels. Dean also talks about smell, odor and scent are powerful tool for bring back memories or a certain emotion that responses which ultimately affects people health. Odor is paired with a learning task that can recall 50% improved. Also the smell of cinnamon and peppermint are can affects people mind and emotion it by pay attention, their recognition and working memory, visual motor response speed mood and energy.

According to Dean in the same article “The effect of scent on the human mind and its implications have not been fully researched yet, but brain scientists are now confirming what herbalists and aroma researchers have long believed; a good aroma evokes our deepest emotions. Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director of the Smell and Taste Research Foundation in Chicago agrees.”

People emotion or mood are also depend on what we smell if we smell disgusting people feel irritated, and if people smell good, good emotion will come soon.