Human beings are emotional beings, and for that reason we can come to seem irrational at times .

In fact, our most emotional side influences us even in making important decisions. As Antonio Damasio said, “emotion is a necessary ingredient in almost every decision we make”. The truth is that strong emotions and feelings are capable of moving the world. That’s why today’s post is dedicated to this topic

10 psychological facts about human feelings and emotions

1. Without realizing it, we are affected by other people’s moods

Almost without realizing it, we are deeply affected by other people’s moods. Experts call this phenomenon “emotional contagion”. This is a natural process involving mirror neurons, which allow us to reflect other people’s emotions, as concluded by Ginger Blume’s research in 2007.

2. Emotional pain hurts just as much as physical love

In recent years, neuroimaging studies have shown that the regions involved in processing physical pain overlap those related to emotional pain and social distress (Jaffe, 2013).

3. There is a phobia of falling in love: Philophobia

The fear of being in love is called Philophobia . This condition is part of anxiety disorders and affects the social and emotional life of the person who suffers it. In severe cases, the philophobe may not only avoid potential love, but may stop relating to co-workers, neighbors, friends and family

  • To learn more about this disorder, you can visit our article: “Philophobia or Fear of Falling in Love”

4. When we hug, we release oxytocin

Do you know why hugs feel so good? Because when we hug, we release a hormone called oxytocin . Reptiles release oxytocin during sex, but mammals produce it all the time. That is why reptiles keep away from other reptiles except when mating, while mammals form attachments with relatives, litters or herds.

5. Different daily experiences can exhaust one’s capacity to resist moral temptations

Do we always act the same way in the face of temptation? Apparently not. One study (Kouchaki, 2013) states that people are more likely to have less self-control when they are tired . On the other hand, another study concluded that people have less self-control as the working day progresses (Barnes et al. 2014).

These results may be linked to another study, from Florida State University, which states that restoring glucose to an optimal level often improves self-control. And it turns out that in 2009, Stanford University School of Medicine found that circadian rhythms are directly related to the mechanism that processes blood sugar. Therefore, fatigue may be associated with decreased willpower in the face of immoral temptations.

This could go both ways. That is, people would tend to behave immorally when they are tired due to lack of self-control. But lack of self-control can also affect people, causing them to drop their guard and succumb to immoral temptations.

6. Emotional desensitization of parents can be bad for children

Desensitisation is defined as the decrease in emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure to it. In a recent study, it was shown that when parents become desensitized to violence and sex in movies, they become more permissive about exposing their children to these types of movies (Romer, 2014).

7. Chocolate is the drug of love

Chocolate has been considered an aphrodisiac, but it has also been baptized as the drug of love. And it is not exactly because we are used to giving chocolates along with some flowers to show our love to our partner. But then, what is the reason? Well, chocolate contains tryptophan, a chemical that helps produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter related to happiness, and plays an important role in mood, emotional well-being and the correct balance of appetite and sleep.

In addition, chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a neurotransmitter involved in promoting attraction, and stimulates brain areas related to pleasure. In disaffection, the levels of these two substances drop. Therefore, when a sentimental partner leaves us we gorge ourselves on chocolate to make up for this deficit .

8. Psychological science states that emotions are four and not six

Ever since the American psychologist Paul Ekman first proposed that there were a total of six basic emotions, this has been the popular belief. According to Ekman, the emotions were: sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust .

Now, a study published in Current Biology and carried out by researchers from Glasgow University, in the United Kingdom, states that the basic emotions are 4.

  • To learn more about this study, in this article by psychologist Bertrand Regader we explain: “Study shows that basic emotions are four, not six as believed”

9. Mirror neurons are related to empathy

Mirror neurons are key to the harmonization of individuals with their surroundings, since they allow us to capture the emotions of others, not through conceptual reasoning but through direct experience. The cause of blushing when you see someone when they are being humiliated, or identifying with a person when they are crying, is because of the mirror neurons. Ramachandran affirms that these neurons give us the capacity for empathy, that is to say, that it makes us feel what others feel.

10. Laughter and humor are a form of therapy

There are many types of psychological therapy. One of them is laughter therapy, an alternative therapy that consists of creating situations that encourage laughter and humour . In this way it is possible to relieve physical and emotional tensions. The benefits of laughter therapy are many.

  • To learn more about this form of therapy, just click on this link: “Laughter therapy: the psychological benefits of laughter”

Bibliographic references:

  • Gadenne, V. (2006). Philosophy of psychology. Spain: Herder.
  • Papalia, D. and Wendkos, S. (1992). Psychology. Mexico: McGraw-Hill
  • Triglia, Adrián; Regader, Bertrand; García-Allen, Jonathan (2016). Psychologically speaking. Paidós.