Interesting Psychology Facts about Human Feelings
10 ultimate psychology facts about human feelings
Best psychology facts about human feelings
1.
Without realizing it, we are deeply affected by other people’s moods.
Research call this phenomena “emotional contagion”. This is a natural process
that pre-wired our brain via “mirror-neurons” that allow us to sense and
reflect other people’s emotions. (Blume. 2007). And as stated in the Chameleon
Effect, we have a natural tendency to imitate another person’s speech
inflections and physical expressions (Bargh and Chartand, 1999). And we usually
mimic the actions of the people we usually interact with that those who are
strangers to us.
References:
Blume, Ph.D. 2007. Contagious Emotions.
2.
There is actually a phobia for losing one’s phone.
Nomophobia is a term describing the fear of being without a mobile device, or
beyond mobile phone contact (Elmore,2014) The term is an abbreviation for
“no-mobile-phone phobia” which was coiled during a 2010 study by the UK Post
Office. According to the study, 54% of those questioned said they experienced
nomophobia. And overall, women were likely to suffer from nomophobia than men
(Merz, 2013).
References:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/artificial-maturity/201409/nomophobia-rising-trend-in-students
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10267574/Nomophobia-affects-majority-of-UK.html
3. In
the past few years, psychology researchers have found a good deal
of literal truth embedded in the metaphorical phrased comparing love to pain.
Neuroimaging studies have shown that brain regions involved processing physical
pain overlap considerably with those tied to social anguish. (Jaffe, 2013).
Broken Heart Syndrome is characterized by normal coronary arteries, regional
wall motion abnormalities that extend beyond a single coronary vascular bed,
and often, a precipitating stressor.
(Hurst, et. Al, 2010). Its temporary that is often brought on by
stressful situations, such as the death of a loved one.
References:
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/february-13/why-love-literally-hurts.html
http://imaging.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1109603
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/broken-heart-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20034635
4. When
we hug, the chemical that the brain release is the hormone oxytocin.
It has been hypothesized that oxytocin, a hormone recognized for its role in
social attachment and facilitations of social interactions, is also important
in the formation of trust. (Baumagartner, 2008)
Referneces:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-trust-or-not-to-trust/
5. It
was proposed in one study that the normal, unremarkable
experiences associated with everyday living can deplete one’s capacity to
resist moral temptations (Kouchaki, et al. 2013). The study proposes that
people are more likely to have less self-control when they’re tired. Another
study concluded that the average adult has less self-control as the work day
wears on, becoming more likely to act “immoral” by the end of the afternoon
(Barnes, et al. 2014). It could be tied to the study by the Florida State
University that restoring glucose to a sufficient level typically improves
self-control. And it turns out that in 2009, the Stanford University School of
Medicine found that circadian rhythms are directly tied to the mechanism that
process blood sugar.
This works both ways, the studies above have mentioned that
people tend to engage in immoral behaviour when they’re tired due to the lack
of self-control. But the lack of self-control can also affect people to let
their guard down a little bit and be more honest with physical conditions.
References:
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/25/1/95.abstract
http://psr.sagepub.com/content/11/4/303.abstract
http://www.businessinsider.com/acting-unethically-when-tired-2014-6
6.
Desensitization is defined as the diminished emotional responsiveness to a
negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure to it. In a study
conducted recently, parents were subjected to watching movies that have
violence and sex have showed that there was an increase in acceptance to both
types of content, even to the extent of the willingness to show it to their
children. (Romer, et. Al. 2014). There is also evidence of desensitization
among people who play video games (Bushman, 2007).
References
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/10/15/peds.2014-1167.abstract
http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2008/04/24/violent-video-games-and-desens/
7. I
don’t think it’s a new thing when I say that we consider Chocolate as “the love
drug”. Known for notoriously being an aphrodisiac, and a good gift
for anytime of the year, chocolate has been a widely known staple for showing
love. But why is this so? It contains tryptophan, a chemical in the brain that
is used to produce serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical that plays a major
role in positive mood, emotional health, proper sleep and balance appetite, and
contributing to numerous behavioural and physiological functions. (Kilham,
2011). Chocolate also contains a chemical called phenylethylamine. It’s a neurotransmitter
that help promote feelings of attraction, excitement, and giddiness. It works
by stimulating the brain’s pleasure centers and reaches its peak level during
orgasm (Crandell, 2007).
References
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/02/07/chocolate-love-drug-good/
http://www.science20.com/science_mom/top_ten_scientific_reasons_that_chocolate_is_the_world_s_most_perfect_food
8.
Psychological research has classified six facial expressions which
correspond to distinct universal emotions: disgust, sadness, happiness, fear,
anger, and surprise (Black, et. Al, 1995). Theorists have also hypothesized
that the universals are to be found in the relationship between distinctive
movements of the facials muscles and the particular emotions. (Ekman and
Friesen, 1967, 1969).
References:
http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/land/oldstudentprojects/cs490-95to96/hjkim/emotions.html
https://www.paulekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Universal-Facial-Expressions-of-Emotions1.pdf
9.
Mirror neurons are the brain’s hardware for harmonizing individuals to
their environment (Matousek, 2011). Mirror neurons allow us to grasp the minds
of others not through conceptual reasoning but through direct stimulation. It
is because of mirror neurons that you blush when you see someone else
humiliated, flinch when someone else is struck, and can’t resist the urge to
laugh when seeing a group struck with giggles (Rizzolatti, circa 1990). It has
been said that these neurons give us the capability for empathy, allowing us to
feel what other people feel – theoretically both physically and emotionally
(Ramachandran, 2012).
References
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ethical-wisdom/201103/i-feel-your-pain-why
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/do_mirror_neurons_give_empathy
10.
Some studies suggest that people dread idleness (Hsee,
et.al 2009). In an experiment by Christopher Hsee and his colleagues, they
conducted two experiments that showed that people choose to be idle; that even
a specious justification can motivate people to be busy, and that people who
are busy are happier than people who are idle (Hsee, et.al 2009).
References
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/7/926
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