Emotions Competition

Lately, we've talked about emotions and how to recognize them. But are there emotions that are easier to recognize than others? Or emotions that 'arrive' before others? Yes, negative emotions are quicker to activate. Let's see why.

Two emotions that activate rapidly are anger and fear. We need to quickly understand when a situation is dangerous; otherwise, we would walk on heights, caress snakes, and engage in fights without concern for the consequences. It doesn't seem very advantageous, does it?

Another emotion that activates swiftly is the disgust. Here, it might be more complicated to understand why. After all, what utility is there in knowing whether we like tomatoes or not! However, if we try to think like a Homo sapiens from 20,000 years ago, being able to recognize by taste whether food is edible or not becomes extraordinarily useful.

The ability to recognize emotions is not just an evolutionary fact; it is also influenced by life experiences. A group of Italian researchers conducted a study on the ability to recognize emotions in child soldiers from Sierra Leone. The study demonstrates how children who have experienced repeated traumas confuse sadness with anger. Can you imagine why? In a war, showing empathy may not lead to survival.

However, let's remember that behavior is learned, and we are not bound to respond in the same way throughout our lives. We can learn new, more suitable responses. We can learn to recognize and respond appropriately to the situations we encounter.

Sources:
- Darwin, C. (1872) - The expression of the emotions in man and animals.
- Leppänen, JM & Nelson, CA (2012) - Early development of fear processing.
- Ardizzi, M (2013) - When early experiences build a wall to others' emotions: an electrophysiological and autonomic study.
- Ardizzi, M (2015) - Impact of childhood maltreatment on the recognition of facial expressions of emotions.
- Ardizzi, M (2016) - Less empathic and more reactive: The different impact of childhood maltreatment on facial mimicry and vagal regulation.

How often do you feel angry? How often do you experience fear? Have you ever tried to control these two emotions?

If you want me to describe a psychology topic in my own words, write it in the comments.