Where do our emotions come from?
When I took an emotional intelligence test for the first time, I scored lower than average in the category of perceiving emotion. This result caught me by surprise because I was often praised for my ability to listen and empathize. As I reflected on the test results and studied a variety of factors that predict higher levels of emotional intelligence, I realized my low perception scores were the result of a limited emotional vocabulary. While I could describe the differences in diverse feelings, such as happy or sad, I struggled to describe the difference between feelings like elated and thrilled, or upset and distressed. I realized I needed a better framework for describing the different feelings associated with emotion.
Psychologists use the term “affect” to describe the feelings associated with emotion. The American Psychological Association defines affect as “any experience of feeling or emotion, ranging from suffering to elation, from the simplest to the most complex sensations of feeling, and from the most normal to the most pathological emotional reactions.” Webster’s Dictionary defines affect (noun) as “a set of observable manifestations of an experienced emotion; the conscious emotion that occurs in reaction to a thought or experience.” Affect can be described as positive, negative, or neutral. Positive, negative, or neutral feelings can be experienced at varying levels of intensity, resulting in a wide range of emotional interpretations. Understanding affect is key to understanding how and why we experience specific emotions.
To put the concept of affect into practical terms, affect is “the general sense of feeling you experience throughout each day” (Lisa Feldman Barrett). Affect is the result of the brain monitoring vital bodily processes, predicting how much energy the body needs to maintain optimal function, and then directing the body to take the appropriate action. A common example of this process is the “fight, flight, or freeze” sensation we feel when our brain detects stimuli in our environment it perceives as a threat. Cortisol is released into our bloodstream to increase glucose levels and power our body with energy. Our breathing deepens to speed the flow of blood to critical areas such as the hands (enabling the use of our fists) or legs (in anticipation of needing to run). We feel nauseous as our brain attempts to influence our stomach to empty its contents so we can run faster. This cycle of monitoring, predicting, and directing is an ongoing process that is core to our survival, even when our brain is not attempting to address immediate threats.
Affect consists of two types of sensations which are the foundational building blocks of emotion. The first sensation is valence, which represents the extent to which we experience pleasant (positive) or unpleasant (negative) feelings. The second sensation is arousal, or in other words, the level of intensity we experience. Sensations of arousal (intensity) range from calm (low) to excited (high). The combined experience of valence and arousal represents a summary of what is going on in our body and prompts the brain to construct an emotional state that is relevant to the current situation.
Emotions are a prescription for a recommended course of action. The recommended course of action is contextual and personal. There is no universal emotional state that can be applied to all scenarios. Our emotional state is constructed by our brains in response to our past experiences in similar situations, and whether the most likely predicted outcome is aligned with our goals and values.
For example, how would you describe the emotional state triggered by this scenario?
Halfway through your 10-mile desert hike, you decide it is time to stop in the shade to rest and drink some water. As you enjoy your break, you realize one of your hiking boots is untied. You prop your foot up on a nearby rock and bend down to tie your boot. Suddenly, you hear a hissing sound and see the shape of what looks like a poisonous snake behind the rock your foot is resting on. You immediately feel your heart pounding in your chest. You realize you are taking deep, uncontrollable breaths. You are overcome with nausea and light-headedness.
One possible description of the emotion you feel is fear. Your brain predicts the risk of getting bitten as very likely, which puts at risk your goal of being healthy and living to see your next birthday.
Another possible description of your emotional state is excitement. Your brain predicts it is a type of snake you have never seen before in the wild and you are excited with the anticipation of this experiential milestone.
It is also possible that your body is dehydrated because you have not had enough to drink. Your brain is not interested in the danger or excitement of a potential snake because hydration is the most important priority.
The key to interpreting differences in emotional states is to focus on the dimensions of affect — pleasant/unpleasant valence and high/low arousal (intensity). If you are experiencing fear, it is likely that the potential of finding a snake on the trail created a highly intense sensation of unpleasant feelings (unpleasant valence, high arousal). If you experience a sensation that is pleasant with high intensity (pleasant valence, high arousal), it is likely you are feeling excited or nervous with the anticipation of such an exciting encounter. Unpleasant sensations experienced with low intensity (unpleasant valence, low arousal), could be signs of lethargy, which is consistent with dehydration. Using the affect framework of valence and arousal increases our understanding of our emotional state because we can use the differences in affect to better describe what we are feeling.
A newer definition of emotional intelligence is “getting [our] brain to construct the most useful instance of the most useful emotion concept in a given situation” (Lisa Feldman Barrett). The ability to label what we are feeling and differentiate those feelings from other potential emotional concepts is key to achieving emotional intelligence. As we improve the interpretation of our feelings, we increase the likelihood of constructing the most useful emotion for a given situation. We will also start to develop an increased perception of affect in others, which is another sign that our emotional intelligence is improving.
