10: Emotion and Affective Neuroscience
- Page ID
- 408329
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)By Eddie Harmon-Jones and Cindy Harmon-Jones
This chapter was adapted from:
Harmon-Jones, E. & Harmon-Jones, C. (2023). Affective neuroscience. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. Retrieved from http://noba.to/qnv3erb9 License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED
This chapter provides a brief overview of the neuroscience of emotion. It integrates findings from human and animal research and describes the brain networks and associated neurotransmitters involved in basic affective systems.
Learning Objectives
- Define affective neuroscience.
- Describe neuroscience techniques used to study emotions in humans and animals.
- Name five emotional systems and their associated neural structures and neurotransmitters.
- Give examples of exogenous chemicals (e.g., drugs) that influence affective systems and discuss their effects.
- Discuss multiple affective functions of the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens.
- Name several specific human emotions and discuss their relationship to the affective systems of nonhuman animals.
- 10.1: What is it?
- This page discusses affect in psychology, covering emotions, moods, and feelings, and their study through affective neuroscience. It highlights the role of physiological changes, subjective feelings, and motivations in emotions, and explains the use of noninvasive techniques like EEG and fMRI, as well as animal studies, to explore complex human emotional processes.
- 10.2: Basic Emotions
- This page explores neural systems governing emotions like desire, fear, rage, love, and grief, focusing on the brain structures involved and their interplay with neurotransmitters like dopamine, opiates, and oxytocin. It differentiates between "wanting" and "liking" in the context of addiction and discusses how fear and rage circuits engage survival and aggression.
- 10.3: Experiences Can Alter the Brain
- This page discusses neural plasticity, emphasizing the principle that interconnected neuronal activity strengthens associations, particularly in relation to emotional responses and contextual experiences. It focuses on the nucleus accumbens, which connects specific brain regions to appetitive and fearful behaviors.
- 10.4: Brain Structures have Multiple Functions
- This page highlights the complexity of brain structures involved in emotion, particularly the amygdala and nucleus accumbens, which consist of various nuclei with distinct functions. It notes the limitations of human neuroimaging methods, like fMRI, compared to invasive animal studies in identifying specific nuclei and their roles. The amygdala's connection to fear and other emotions exemplifies the challenge of directly mapping emotions to particular brain regions.
- 10.5: Conclusion
- This page discusses how affective neuroscience deepens our comprehension of emotions, motivations, and behaviors through the study of nonhuman animals. It highlights key insights into the structure and evolution of human emotions and their implications for understanding drug use and psychological disorders. Additionally, it addresses complex emotions such as desire, enjoyment, grief, and love, while acknowledging that further research is needed in many aspects.
- 10.6: Discussion Questions and Resources
- This page explores the differences between neural circuits for "liking" and "wanting," with implications for dieting, addiction, and habit change. It examines how social pleasure neurotransmitters can trigger panic and grief in deprivation, deepening understanding of love. The page discusses the impact of stressful environments on fear sensitivity and preferred environments on reward sensitivity, suggesting adaptive responses. Lastly, it offers external resources for further exploration.
- 10.7: References
- This page delves into affective neuroscience, highlighting the neural foundations of emotions and their behavioral impacts. It covers brain representations of emotions, differentiating positive and negative valence, and examines structures like the amygdala and nucleus accumbens in emotional regulation. The chapter references key studies that reveal the complexities of emotional processing, individual variations in approach motivation, and the influence of stimuli on emotional experiences.