How Do Emotions Affect Behavior? Free PDF Download Included

We all know that emotions can have an affect on behavior but exactly how do emotions affect behavior?

This article will discuss the following topics:

  • What are emotions?
  • Where do emotions come from?
  • How does emotions affect behavior PDF at the end of the article

Examples of How Emotions Affect Behavior

How Do Emotions Affect Behavior?

You’re a new mother and your baby suddenly falls fatally ill. The doctor tells you that there is a cure but it comes at a cost that you cannot afford. However, you know someone who knows someone that can (illegally) get the medicine at a fraction of the price.

What do you do? Let your baby die or do anything in your power to get that medicine whether legally or illegally?

You and your partner are in a heated argument. You say things, terrible things that you don’t really mean. Why?

Your partner feels rejected by everyone in their life and when things get tough, they start pushing you away as well. Why do they do this?

All of these scenarios have some emotional link to them. Sometimes our emotions drive our behavior and decisions. While at times it may seem that strong emotions elicit bad behavior, the inverse can also be true.

What Are Emotions?

Emotions are the strong sensations we feel after witnessing or being part of an impactful event. These events can include:

  • Witnessing the death of a loved on
  • Being present at the birth of your child or other family member (niece, nephew, cousin, sibling etc.)
  • Winning a major competition
  • Being chosen for the first team
  • Having to talk in front of a crowd

The list goes on. But sometimes emotions can also come from a mental disorder like depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety. There’s no specific event that happened just before experiencing feelings of dread or hopelessness.  

According to the American Psychological Association, “emotions are conscious mental reactions subjectively experienced as strong feelings”

How Are Feelings Different?

Feelings are conscious and happens in the mind. They are the reactions we have to emotions. Feelings are the perceptions we have of whatever is going on around or within us.

Emotions is the result of a physical response within the brain while feelings are the result of a response to the emotional experience.

Therefore, we can say that emotions are the physical sensations. Like a racing heartbeat, sweaty palms and possibly a slight tremor. These sensations I just mentioned can be anger, anxiety, excitement or even nervousness.

This is where feelings come in. Feelings are the interpretations we give to the emotions. They are personal perceptions and explanations for the emotions we are feeling.

Where Do Emotions Come From?

Emotions are influenced by the limbic system. A network of interconnected structures in the brain. The key structures are the hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala and the limbic cortex. These structures also play a pivotal role in behavioral responses.

There are 3 components to emotions. Each have a role to play in the function and/or purpose of the emotional response:

  • Subjective: your perceived experience of the emotion
  • Physiological: body’s reaction to the emotion
  • Expressive: how you behave in response to the emotion

How Do Emotion Affect Behavior?

Well, according to Baumeister, DeWall, Vohs & Alquist in Then a Miracle Occurs: Focusing on Behavior in Social Psychological Theory and Research (2010) there might be 2 theories to explain behavioral responses.

  1. Emotion is directly related to behavior. It causes a certain behavioral reaction. This is called the standard theory of emotion.
  2. Behavior happens first and then comes the emotion. Emotion is said to operate as inner feedback that prompts the individual to reflect on the act (and possible consequences) and perhaps learn something from it. People are then free to choose their actions based on the anticipated emotional outcome.

Standard Theory

Standard Theory is the most probable explanation for behavioral reactions to emotions. Why? Because it makes sense. The theory looks at evolution where past behavior may cause physical harm or death. This behavior causes an emotional response in others and is therefore avoided in the future.

However, like with all theories, there exist critiques. This theory has a number of critiques, but only one stood out to me. That is:

“Behavior cannot be driven by emotion alone, because behavioral choices can only be negotiated between the person and the situation. At most, emotions might activate broad tendencies toward approach and avoidance, but what specific form the behaviors take would depend on the situation.”

The claim is that there are too many different behaviors to account for a single emotion. This makes the behavior in relation to the emotion unpredictable.

To read more on this please download the full article here.

Theory 2

Research has had more success showing how emotion affects cognition rather than behavior. It further lends credibility to the idea that emotion encourages learning.

Hence why the theory claims that we behave firstly, then experience the emotion which leads to reflection and possibly a learning moment.

There appears to be more evidence supporting this theory than there is for the support of the standard theory. We know that memories or events are better stored in the brain when it has a strong emotional connotation. There is ample evidence for that. But what does it say about emotion and behavior?

The researches argue that people learn to anticipate emotional outcomes to certain behaviors. For instance, guilt. Most of us know which actions would cause us to feel guilt so we avoid doing it since it’s an unpleasant outcome.

Therefore, we can say that an anticipated emotion can render positive outcomes. Knowing which behaviors will result in negative emotions will cause us to reconsider out behavior to have a more positive and beneficial outcome.

However, the theory also suggests that anticipated emotion can shift individuals to favoring the status quo. That means they would rather stick to an option that is acceptable rather than one that can produce change (either good or bad). This option is seen as “playing it safe.”

Which One Is Correct?

I believe both theories have merit. Most articles and websites claim that emotion does affect behavior, but my own views have changed somewhat. I now also believe that theory two is true too.

For the FREE PDF on this article, please click the link.

Theory 2

Many times we find ourselves thinking about doing something tomorrow or in a week’s time and we anticipate how it might make us feel. So, we either change the behavior or avoid it altogether.  

It all depends on the situation. For example:

My partner wants to go canoeing next weekend. Here are my options:

  • I can say no. I don’t like dirty water and I’m afraid of drowning. This outcome may be positive, but my partner may be highly upset or not. I don’t know.
  • I can say yes, but then be miserable and fearful all weekend. This outcome is negative.
  • Perhaps we can make a compromise. We’ll go canoeing first and then go horseback riding. This can be seen as some sort of reward for doing something I fear. It can also be something that takes my mind off the canoe part. This is the most beneficial outcome.

Standard Theory

Now, taking the examples of earlier it’s also safe to say that some situations cannot be thought about before-hand. Sometimes a heated discussion / argument happens in the blink of an eye. It’s not something you could have thought about and decided whether or not you wanted to take part and how it would affect your emotions.

The same goes for the mother and her fatally ill baby. Yes, she could think about a situation where her baby is sick and how that would affect her emotions but who would ever think of a moral scenario where the only options you have is to either let your baby die or do something illegal that could land you in jail. No one! It’s too bizarre and yet these things happen.

Conclusion

Nothing in psychology is clear-cut and straight forward. There are multiple things at play. Emotions does affect behavaior, but so do social norms even if we don’t agree with them.

Sometimes we’re caught up in group think and we act accordingly. We don’t take our emotions into consideration. Both theories have merit although both have received critique as well.

It’s always best to look at things from all sides and corners before “choosing” side. Don’t just stick with the first best option that you agree with. Always look at other theories to either strengthen your original idea or to weaken it.

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