Autonomic Nervous System Activity Distinguishes Among Emotions

Ekman, Paul; Levenson, Robert W.; Friesen, Wallace V.

doi:10.1126/science.6612338

Cited by 2,289 publications

(1,298 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Ekman, Levenson, and Friesen (1983) showed that manipulated facial expressions typical of each of six different emotions led to distinctive changes in heart rate and finger temperature. The previously mentioned study conducted by Keltner et al (1993) testifies to the cognitive effects.…”

Section: Effects Of Anger-related Muscular Movementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Berkowitz¹,

Harmon‐Jones²

2004

Emotion

493

417

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Research bearing on several popular conceptions of the major determinants of anger arousal indicates that the particular appraisals often identified as causes of anger frequently only serve to affect the intensity of the anger that is generated. Research into effects of physical pain or other physically unpleasant conditions or involving social stresses suggests that decidedly aversive conditions are a major spur to anger. Experiments are also reviewed showing that anger-related muscular movements can also lead to anger-related feelings, memories, cognitions, and autonomic responses. Alternative explanations for the findings are discussed. The authors urge emotion theorists to widen their methodology and analyses so that they give careful, detailed attention to the many different factors that can influence anger.A great many people are angry at one time or another. After surveying studies dating back to World War I, Averill (1982) concluded that "Depending upon how records are kept, most people report becoming mildly to moderately angry anywhere from several times a day to several times a week" (p. 1146). Perhaps because this emotion is so common, 1 specific definitions of this term often vary in detail (see Averill, 1982;Kassinove, 1995, for reviews of the many different usages of this word), and there are many different, and even opposing, cultural beliefs prescribing how and when this affective state should be managed.Although there certainly is no shortage of research articles dealing with anger, investigators inquiring into the development and functioning of emotions would do well to devote more of their effort and ingenuity to the study of this particular affective state. It obviously is a socially very important emotion, one that has attracted a great deal of attention in the mass media as well as in the various health fields, but it also presents emotion theorists with a number of intriguing conceptual questions. As just one example, there is the often-assumed relationship between hedonic valence and approach-avoidance inclinations. According to Watson, Wiese, Vaidya, and Tellegen (1999), positive affect is typically associated with approach tendencies, whereas negative arousal is usually linked to an urge to avoid the instigating stimulus. Anger seems to be relatively unique in this regard and is often associated with approach rather than with avoidance inclinations (see Harmon-Jones & Allen, 1998;Harmon-Jones & Sigelman, 2001). Then too, research into the conditions under which anger is aroused can also touch on the metatheoretical controversy as to whether emotions can be evoked independently of cognitions. Although we do not want to revive the now well-worn argument as to just what is involved in the concept cognition, if one adopts the relatively restricted definition favored by Izard (1993) and Zajonc Leonard Berkowitz and Eddie Harmon-Jones, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.We thank the individuals who provided valuable comments on previous versions of this article: Jack B...

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Section: Effects Of Anger-related Muscular Movementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Berkowitz¹,

Harmon‐Jones²

2004

Emotion

493

417

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This indicates that BTA in the forehead has positive mood effects above and beyond the euphoria that one gets from improved appearance. The mood-lifting effect of such a BTA treatment may be explained by the facial feedback hypothesis, which dates back to Charles Darwin and William James in the 19th century and has been substantiated in several experimental studies [12][13][14]. In theory, contraction of facial muscles sends a message to the emotional centers of the brain.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

Treating Depression with Botulinum Toxin: A Pooled Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Magid

Finzi²,

Krüger

et al. 2015

Pharmacopsychiatry

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Introduction: Botulinum toxin A (BTA) injection into the glabellar region is currently being studied as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Here we explore efficacy data of this novel approach in a pooled analysis. Methods: A literature search revealed 3 RCTs on this topic. Individual patient data and clinical end points shared by these 3 trials were pooled and analyzed as one study (n=134) using multiple regression models with random effects. Results: In the pooled sample, the BTA (n=59) and the placebo group (n=75) did not differ in the baseline variables. Efficacy outcomes revealed BTA superiority over placebo: Improvement in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale or Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale 6 weeks after baseline was 45.7% for BTA vs. 14.6% for placebo (p<0.0001), corresponding to a BTA response rate of 54.2% (vs. 10.7%) and a BTA remission rate of 30.5% (vs. 6.7%). Discussion: Equalling the status of a meta-analysis, this study increases evidence that a single treatment of BTA into the glabellar region can reduce symptoms of MDD. Further studies are needed to better understand how BTA exerts its mood-lifting effect.

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“…Importantly, we showed that even when the participant’s attention was directed away from the painful aspect of images depicting another person’s pain, the AIC was still more activated for painful compared to neutral stimuli, while the anterior cingulate cortex showed comparable activations for painful and neutral stimuli (Gu, et al, 2010). Moreover, accumulating evidence suggests that autonomic signals and their higher-order re-representations are crucial for emotional feelings (Craig, 2002; Critchley and Harrison, 2013; Ekman, et al, 1983; Gray and Critchley, 2007; Harrison, et al, 2010; Rainville, et al, 2006). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomic and brain responses associated with empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder

Eilam‐Stock

Zhou

et al. 2015

Human Brain Mapping

100

110

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Accumulating evidence suggests that autonomic signals and their cortical representations are closely linked to emotional processes, and that related abnormalities could lead to social deficits. Although socio-emotional impairments are a defining feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), empirical evidence directly supporting the link between autonomic, cortical, and socio-emotional abnormalities in ASD is still lacking. In this study, we examined autonomic arousal indexed by skin conductance responses (SCR), concurrent cortical responses measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging, and effective brain connectivity estimated by dynamic causal modeling, in seventeen un-medicated high-functioning adults with ASD and seventeen matched controls, while they performed an empathy-for-pain task. Compared to controls, adults with ASD showed enhanced SCR related to empathetic pain, along with increased neural activity in the anterior insular cortex, although their behavioral empathetic pain discriminability was reduced and overall SCR was decreased. ASD individuals also showed enhanced correlation between SCR and neural activities in the anterior insula. Importantly, significant group differences in effective brain connectivity were limited to greater reduction in the negative intrinsic connectivity of the anterior insular cortex in the ASD group, indicating a failure in attenuating anterior insular responses to empathetic pain. These results suggest that aberrant interoceptive precision, as indexed by abnormalities in autonomic activity and its central representations, may underlie empathy deficits in ASD.

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Autonomic Nervous System Activity Distinguishes Among Emotions

Cited by 2,289 publications

References 10 publications

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Treating Depression with Botulinum Toxin: A Pooled Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Autonomic and brain responses associated with empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder

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