10 interesting Psychological Facts About Human Feelings

10 interesting Psychological Facts About Human Feelings

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). 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).

References:

Blume, Ph.D. 2007. Contagious Emotions.

2. 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.

 

3. 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)

4. 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 processes 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. However, the lack of self-control can also cause people to let their guard down a little bit and be more honest with physical conditions.

5. 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. Overall, women were more likely to suffer from nomophobia than men (Merz, 2013).

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).

 

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 helps 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).

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).

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).

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).