Emotion

Emotion is a brief, intense affective state that arises in response to a significant event or thought. It typically involves a subjective experience, physiological arousal, and observable expressive behavior, and it is distinguished from mood by its immediacy and episodic quality. Emotions help individuals evaluate, respond to, and communicate about their surroundings, goals, and values.

Most theories link emotion to appraisal, the process of evaluating how events relate to needs and concerns. Early accounts include James-Lange (physiological changes drive the feeling) and Cannon-Bard (emotion and arousal occur together). The two-factor theory adds a cognitive label to arousal. Appraisal theories emphasize interpretation of personal significance and believe emotions are constructed from cognitive processes.

Neuroscientific work highlights networks involving the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, insula, and anterior cingulate in emotion processing. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine influence affective states. Emotions can be measured through self-report, facial expressions, physiological signals, and neuroimaging, though methods vary in sensitivity and ecological validity.

Functions of emotion include signaling relevance, guiding decisions, shaping memory, and regulating social interaction. Emotion regulation enables individuals to modify intensity or duration, using strategies such as reappraisal or expressive suppression. Development, aging, culture, and gender influence how emotions are experienced and expressed, and universal facial expressions are complemented by culturally specific display rules.

Difficulties in emotion processing or regulation are features of several mental health conditions, such as mood and anxiety disorders or alexithymia. Therapeutic approaches often target emotion recognition and regulation, including cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and emotion-focused modalities. Understanding emotion integrates psychology, neuroscience, and social context to explain how feelings shape behavior.