Tricky Topics: Theories of Emotion

Subjective feelings are powerful experiences, and there has been much debate about their origin. Four prominent theories attempt to explain how emotions are produced.

The James-Lange theory posits that emotions are experienced internally in response to physiological changes. For example, encountering zombies would first cause your body to react with increased heart rate, and these physical changes are then detected by the brain, leading to the subjective feeling of fear. This theory suggests feelings are a response to bodily changes, which can be supported by studies showing that activating smiling muscles can lead to feeling happier.

The Cannon-Bard theory states that feelings occur independently of emotional expression and that physiological and emotional responses happen in parallel. Research supporting this theory indicates multiple parallel pathways in the brain respond to emotional triggers: one through the thalamus for physical changes and another through the cortex for subjective emotional experience.

The two-factor theory proposes that emotional experience is determined by both bodily awareness and a cognitive appraisal of the situation. This means we consciously decide which emotion we are experiencing based on the best explanation for the circumstances. For instance, seeing zombies on a TV show might cause a racing heart but a happy feeling due to cognitive appraisal, unlike encountering real zombies, which would likely lead to terror.

Lazarus's cognitive mediational theory places cognitive appraisal as the first step in the emotional process. Once an individual appraises a situation and their ability to cope, it triggers all emotional responses. This theory explains why different people react differently to the same stimulus, emphasizing the significant impact of appraisal on whether and how intensely an emotion is triggered.

While no single theory fully explains all aspects of subjective emotions, each has its strengths and weaknesses. Modern views of emotion incorporate evidence from all these theories to provide a more comprehensive understanding.