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Do you think love is an emotion? When you are experiencing love, how does…

Your behavior change? Facial expressions, approach/avoidance, vocal tone

Your physiology change? SNS Activation, PNS Activation, Brain Activity

Your cognitive appraisals change? What are your thoughts?

Your subjective feelings change? Valence versus Arousal

Is Love an Emotion? Yes!

William James, Phil Shaver, Barbara Fredrickson, Lazarus

No! It’s a mixed emotion (Izard, Ekman) It’s an attitude (Ekman; Hendricks) It’s a stage (Sternberg) Dimensional Theorists – Russell & Barrett, Watson & Russell

Initial Research applied the prototype approach to answer this question.

Prototype Approach:List as many examples as you can for the category EMOTION…

(Fehr & Russell, 1984)

Happin

essAn

ger

Sadn

ess Love

Fear

Hate

Disgust

Surpr

iseSh

ame

Contem

pt0

40

80

120

160

200

152 149136

12496 89

27 174 2

Num

ber o

f Par

ticip

ants

What is the best example of an emotion?

(Fehr & Russell, 1984)

Worst1

Best6

Happiness

(5.00)

Love (5.46)

Anger(5.15)

Hate(5.26)

Sadness (5.04)

Joy(4.89)Fear

(4.78)

List 5 Characteristics: How do you know when you are in love?

Not Very Common Very

Common

1 7

Passionate Love

Companionate Love

Trust Positive MoodSexual Desire: physiological arousal

Sexual Intimacy:open communication with partner about sexuality

Exclusivity, Satisfaction Trust, Tolerance, Commitment, Intimacy

Idealization Relaxedness/calmnessPositive Emotions : joy/rapture, happiness, contentment

Positive Emotions: joy, contentment

Negative Emotion: Jealousy Not associated with negative emotions: anger, hatred, anxiety, loneliness

Intense; Fleeting / short-lived

Slow onset

(Regan et al., 1998; Lamm & Weismann, 1997)

Prototype Approach People consider love to be the best representation of an

emotion

When probed further, people identify the following components of love: Appraisals (commitment, trust, idealization etc.) Positive and Negative Emotions Physiological arousal (sexual desire) Behavior (sexual intimacy)

What are some problems with using the prototype approach to determine whether love is an emotion?

If love is an emotion, it seems like we may have 2-3 types of love emotions.

Love as a Basic Emotion: Eliciting Stimulus Eliciting Stimulus: Momentary

surges of love, in reaction to an eliciting stimulus

Love as a Basic Emotion: Eliciting Stimulus

Surges of Love: eliciting stimulus is the other person toward whom we feel love Momentary surges of love, in reaction to an eliciting stimulus Sometimes we love our partners, sometimes we don’t! Barbara Fredrickson

Not an eliciting stimulus, but a plot (Ekman) Love includes at least 2 people and a context Characteristic story or script If context is required to experience emotion, then not a basic

emotion

Individual Difference Variable, not a momentary emotion I can be mad at my partner, but still love them!

Love as a Basic Emotion: Eliciting Stimulus and Cog Apps

Manipulation #1: Self Condition: Write about moments when

felt particularly in love or loving Typical Condition: describe what typically

happens when a person feels in love or loving

DV: Experimenter Coding Causes of love Responses to love

Love as a Basic Emotion: Eliciting Stimulus and Cog Apps

Causes (Eliciting Stimuli): Finding the other attractive Felling loved by the other Communicating easily / openly with the other

Responses (Cognitive Appraisals): Being obsessed with the other Being forgetful or distracted, daydreaming about the

other Wanting to spend time with the other Feeling self-confident and energetic because of the

other

Love as a Basic Emotion: Cognitive Appraisals

Early Stage / Passionate Love Exhilaration, intrusive thinking, craving for emotional union

Late Stage/ Companionate Love Calm, security, social comfort, emotional union

What are Tom’s appraisals? (start at 6:30)

Could be that as our appraisals change, our emotions change

Love as a Basic Emotion: Behavior Changes

Cat Tenderness, proximity seeking

Think attachment!

Mimicry - Behavioral synchrony

Mutual gaze time and manipulating gaze

(Rubin, 1973; Kellerman, Lewis, & Laird, 1989)

Love as a Basic Emotion: Behavior Change – 4 Gaze Conditions

Gazing at each other’s hands

Having 1 partner gaze at eyes of partner, who is looking away

Have both partners look in eyes to count eyeblinks

Gazing into each other’s eyes to gain rapport

(Rubin, 1973; Kellerman, Lewis, & Laird, 1989)

Love as a Basic Emotion: Facial Expressions Darwin: Maternal vs. Romantic

Ekman: No unique facial expression Could be positive – “I love you” Could be negative – “Don’t cross the street!”

Love facial expressions are distinct from joy Love/Eroticism Expression: semi-closed eyes Love/Tenderness Expression: slight smile,

slight head tilt

Love as a Basic Emotion: Facial Expressions

Manipulation #1: Joy and Happiness Love Sadness Anger

DV = judges ratings of facial expressions

Love as a Basic Emotion: Facial ExpressionsWell, let me tell you . Now that I'm in love, 1 think about John (Susan) constantly. I can twist any conversation around in my mind so that it's really about him (her). I imagine what he (she) would say to me and how I might tell him (her) things 1 have never told anyone else before. When I see him (her), POW! my heart takes a leap, my cheeks flush, and I can't help smiling . At night before I go to bed, l think of how adorable he (she) is and how much I love him (her) .

Love as a Basic Emotion: Facial Expressions

Joy Love Sadness AngerJudges' rating of facial expression

0123456789

10Joy Love Sadness Anger

Inte

nsity

of f

elt e

mot

ion

Love as a Basic Emotion: Physiological Changes

SNS: Blushing, ↑ HR, ↑ Sweat PNS: ↓ HR, ↓Sweat

Increase in vasopressin, oxytocin, dopamine

Brain Activation (positively correlated with intensity of passionate love) Insula Cingulate Cortex – laughter, joy, amusement, social interactions Caudate Nucleus/Putamen – dopamine release; reward circuit Ventral Tegmental Area – dopamine cells

Love as a Basic Emotion: Is love universal?

Anthropological data from166 non-Western cultures Folklore, poems, literature, etc.

Themes of romantic love present in 88.5% of cultures

But, love absent in 19 cultures But only 1 explicitly stated romantic love did not exist Could be b/c these cultures lacked discussion of motivations

for sexual relationships

Seems the theme of love is partially universal.

(Jankowiak & Fischer, 1992)

Is love universal? Prototype Approach: US versus China List all the features of love.

Caring happiness trust sharing commitment honest/sincerity, understanding excitement

warmth giving

Pain sadness loneliness sacrifice, pain, jealousy, unrequited love, being tied down, separation,

loss betrayal/desertion time consumption conflict