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The Intrapersonal Functions of Emotion

The Intrapersonal Functions of Emotion C O G N IT IO N AN D E M O TIO N , 1999, 13 (5), 481±504 Robert W. L evenson University of California± Berkeley, USA INTRODUCTION A few yea rs back, I (L evenso n, 1994) tried to a nswer th e q uestion : ``W hat are the fu nctio ns o f em o tion?’ ’ T h e o pening pa ragraph (p. 123) of m y respo nse still captures the essence o f m y view: Em otions are short-lived psychological-physiological pheno m ena that repre- sent ef® cient m odes of adaptation to changing environm ental dem ands. Psych ologically, em otions alter attention, shift certain behaviors upwa rd in response hierarchies, and activate relevant associative netwo rks in m em ory. Physiologically, em otions rapidly organize the responses of disparate biolo- gical system s including facial expression, so m atic m uscular tonus, voice tone, aut onom ic nervous system a ctivity, and endocrine activity to produ ce a bodily milieu that is optimal for effective response. Em otions serve to estab- lish our position vis-aÁ -vis our environm ent, pulling us toward certain people, objects, actions and ideas, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Cognition & Emotion Taylor & Francis

The Intrapersonal Functions of Emotion

Levenson, Robert W.
Cognition & Emotion , Volume 13 (5): 24 – Sep 1, 1999
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN
1464-0600
eISSN
0269-9931
DOI
10.1080/026999399379159
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

C O G N IT IO N AN D E M O TIO N , 1999, 13 (5), 481±504 Robert W. L evenson University of California± Berkeley, USA INTRODUCTION A few yea rs back, I (L evenso n, 1994) tried to a nswer th e q uestion : ``W hat are the fu nctio ns o f em o tion?’ ’ T h e o pening pa ragraph (p. 123) of m y respo nse still captures the essence o f m y view: Em otions are short-lived psychological-physiological pheno m ena that repre- sent ef® cient m odes of adaptation to changing environm ental dem ands. Psych ologically, em otions alter attention, shift certain behaviors upwa rd in response hierarchies, and activate relevant associative netwo rks in m em ory. Physiologically, em otions rapidly organize the responses of disparate biolo- gical system s including facial expression, so m atic m uscular tonus, voice tone, aut onom ic nervous system a ctivity, and endocrine activity to produ ce a bodily milieu that is optimal for effective response. Em otions serve to estab- lish our position vis-aÁ -vis our environm ent, pulling us toward certain people, objects, actions and ideas,

Journal

Cognition & Emotion – Taylor & Francis

Published: Sep 1, 1999

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