Lawrence Ian Reed, PhD – Understanding Human Emotions

Although we humans have many adaptations to survive and succeed, there are still some critical ones that we neglect. Physical attributes—walking on two legs, opposable thumbs, stereoscopic vision, complex vocal cords, and more—don’t completely explain our species’ success. Although many people would prefer to point out the human brain and the resulting human intellect as our most significant adaptations, there are amazing adaptive features we have that are often overlooked: Our emotions.

Our emotions are crucial tools in our arsenal. They can be used to help us survive. However, we often don’t appreciate or consider them to be a survival tool. Many people might view emotions negatively or believe they only hinder our progress. But from a scientist’s perspective, our emotions are methodic, purposeful, and intelligent.

Enjoy 12 lectures by the amazing speakers Understanding Human EmotionsProfessor Lawrence Ian Reed helps us consider emotions from an evolutionary point of view—exploring why we have these consistent feelings and physical responses to specific stimuli in our lives and how they benefit us. That doesn’t mean we feel great when a moment of jealousy pops up or that we should be thrilled to be angry. However, it does indicate that, when taken together over evolutionary history, our emotions drive us to act in the most effective ways for our survival or reproduction. We wouldn’t be here without our full range of emotions.

What exactly are they? Emotions?

Emotions are something we all recognize, but it can be so hard to define them. Every day we feel them and see them in others. At certain times in life, it is possible to feel controlled by emotions. Some people say they are able to transcend their emotions and live purely rational lives. What are emotions?

It’s not an easy question, and one that philosophers and scientists have been wrestling with for millennia. In this course, you’ll learn about many of the earliest written musings on the subject, including those of:

• Aristotle. This was the first systematic analysis of emotion that the Greek philosopher provided in the fourth century BCE. His book Rhetoric, He wrote that emotions are influenced by what we believe and how we judge the world.
• Charles Darwin. In his 1870 book Expression of the Emotions Both Man and AnimalsCharles Darwin, a biologist, argued that emotions are derived from our evolutionary past and were influenced by these habits.
• William James. William James, a 19th-century American psychologist and philosopher, proposed the idea that emotions can be experienced through changes in the autonomic nerve system.

The scientific study of emotions was a major focus of brain sciences, psychology and other social sciences in the second half century. We can now see emotions as computer programs. They are superordinate programs that coordinate subprograms to encourage adaptive behavior. Emotions function as evolutionary solutions to problems experienced by our ancestors throughout history.

Emotions The Body

What are these subprograms? How can they be helpful if emotions are superordinate programs that coordinate a variety subprograms to encourage adaptive behavior?

Think about the ancient ancestor that suddenly finds himself closer to a tiger then he had ever wanted. His fearful emotions kick into high gear and hormones flood his body to prepare him for fight, flight, or freezing. In that moment, none of these options may be enough to save him. What would he have done if he didn’t get that hormone boost? He might have reached down to scratch the mosquito bite on one of his ankles, daydreamed, or simply realized that he was hungry. He would not have survived if he had thought or done those things. This man wouldn’t have survived without fear.

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In Understanding Human Emotions, you’ll learn about the many bodily functions that are affected by emotions. You can also find out about the “butterflies in your stomach” and nervous sweating that you might have experienced, you’ll learn about:

• Glucose. Cortisol is released into the bloodstream, activating glucose production. This is necessary for metabolically costly actions like running or fighting.
• Blood flow Blood flows freely to the hands when we’re angry, in order to prepare us for combat, but it remains in the chest when we’re afraid, to support flight.
• Hunger. It doesn’t matter how hungry you may be, the feeling of being disgusted will help to dispel any fear of eating food that might be harmful or contaminated.

Cultural component of Emotions

While scientists believe all humans have the same emotional potential, the way in which emotions are expressed and perceived can depend on a person’s culture and associated values. Cultures that value self are more valuing than others.-expression, emotions are understood and expressed differently than in cultures that place greater value on knowing one’s place within a larger society.

One of many fascinating studies you’ll learn about in this course is the comparison of responses given by American students of European heritage and responses given by American students of Asian heritage. Both groups showed similar physiological responses to being told off by an instructor. However, the European American students were more angry than the Asian American students. One interpretation of this difference would be that spontaneous emotional expressions are valued more highly in Western European cultures, since they are a means to express the individual’s authentic self. However, Asian American students were more likely not to express anger as they risked disrupting social harmony. This is a cultural offense in many Asian cultures.

In this course, you’ll learn about cultural differences in the experience and display of many emotions, including:

• Anger. While public expressions of anger are encouraged in some societies—such as the Ilongot people of the Philippines and the Yanomamo of South America—in other societies, such as the Inuit people of North America, anger seems to rarely occur.
• Shame. Shame is seen in Western cultures as something that is harmful and must be avoided. Shame seems to be valued more in hierarchically-structured societies, especially when it is experienced by someone of lower social status.
• Excitement.While some cultures see excitement as a way to happiness, others see it as a path to tranquility and serenity.

Although the cultural and evolutionary perspectives of emotion may differ in expressions in different cultures, they share many similarities, including the idea that emotions encourage cooperation which is always crucial for the survival of a species.

12 Lectures

Average of 26 minutes per day