How Do Emotions Work?

Part 4 of the Understanding your child’s emotions series.

A child storms into the house after school. One child might slam a door. Another may burst into tears. A third may quietly retreat to their bedroom.

At first glance, it might seem obvious what is happening. Something upset them, and they reacted emotionally. But what if emotions are not quite as straightforward as that?

For much of the twentieth century, emotions were often viewed as automatic responses. Something happens, an emotion is triggered, and a reaction follows. Modern emotion research paints a more complicated picture. Today's psychologists and neuroscientists are increasingly interested in questions such as:

• How much do our thoughts influence emotions?

• How much do bodily sensations matter?

• Why can two children react differently to the same situation?

• What role does language play in emotional development?

• Are emotions discovered, or constructed?

The answers are still being debated, but modern emotion science has offered some fascinating insights into how children learn to understand and experience emotions.

Emotions Are Not Just About What Happens

Imagine two children receiving the same piece of feedback on a drawing. One thinks: "That's helpful. I can make it even better." The other thinks: "It's not good enough." The situation is identical. The emotional reaction is not.

This idea was central to the work of psychologist Richard Lazarus, who argued that emotions are heavily influenced by appraisal, our interpretation of events (Lazarus, 1991). According to appraisal theories, events themselves do not directly cause emotions. Instead, emotions arise from how we evaluate what those events mean (Lazarus, 1991; Scherer, 2001).

This helps explain why one child might view a school performance as exciting while another experiences it as frightening. The performance is the same. The appraisal is different.

For adults supporting children, this is encouraging. It suggests that helping children think differently about situations can sometimes change how they feel about them (Lazarus, 1991).

The Body Plays a Bigger Role Than We Think

When people think about emotions, they often focus on thoughts and feelings. Yet many researchers argue that emotions begin with the body. Think about the physical sensations often associated with emotions: butterflies in the stomach, a racing heart, shaky hands, sweaty palms, tense muscles. Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio argued that emotions and bodily states are deeply connected. According to his work, feelings emerge as the brain interprets changes happening within the body (Damasio, 1994).

The Brain as a Prediction Machine

One of the most influential ideas in contemporary psychology is that the brain is not simply reacting to the world. It is constantly making predictions. Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett argues that the brain continually tries to answer a question: "What is happening, and what should I do next?" (Barrett, 2017)

To do this, it draws on:

• previous experiences,

• memories,

• language,

• context,

• bodily sensations,

• expectations.

According to Barrett, emotions may not be fixed packages hidden inside the brain waiting to be triggered. Instead, emotional experiences may be actively constructed using the brain's best predictions about what is happening (Barrett, 2017).

This can help explain why the same situation can lead to very different emotional reactions.

So, two children may both experience butterflies in the stomach, a faster heartbeat, heightened alertness. One says: "I'm excited." The other says: "I'm nervous." The bodily sensations may be remarkably similar. What differs is the meaning attached to them.

Psychologist James Russell suggested that emotions can be understood through combinations of pleasantness and activation levels, rather than distinct emotional categories (Russell, 1980).

Rather than asking: "Is this anger or fear?", a dimensional approach might ask: "How pleasant or unpleasant does this feel?"

and

"How energised or drained does the person feel?" (Russell, 1980)

Although these theories differ, they all contribute to a richer understanding of emotional development.

Another development in emotion science comes from the work of psychologist James Gross. Gross is best known for his research into emotion regulation, how people influence their emotions and emotional responses (Gross, 1998). One of his most important findings is that not all regulation strategies work equally well. For example: suppressing emotions often proves difficult and exhausting, while understanding emotions tends to be more effective, and reappraisal, changing how a situation is interpreted, can reduce emotional distress (Gross, 1998). This is particularly relevant for children.

When adults focus only on stopping emotions, children may learn that emotions are problems. When adults help children understand emotions, children gain tools they can use for life (Gross, 1998). Modern emotion science does not suggest that emotions are imaginary. Nor does it suggest that children can simply choose how they feel. What it does suggest is that emotional experiences are influenced by many factors.

References

Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain.

Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain.

Ekman, P. (1992). An Argument for Basic Emotions.

Gross, J. J. (1998). The Emerging Field of Emotion Regulation: An Integrative Review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271-299.

Hoemann, K., Xu, F., & Barrett, L. F. (2019). Emotion Words, Emotion Concepts, and Emotional Development in Children.

Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Emotion and Adaptation.

Russell, J. A. (1980). A Circumplex Model of Affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(6), 1161-1178.

Scherer, K. R. (2001). Appraisal Considered as a Process of Multilevel Sequential Checking.