uit: wikipediaa) gebeurtenissen of prikkels uit de omgeving aanleiding geven to bepaalde lichamelijke reacties, zoals een verhoogde spierspanning, droge mond, transpiratie en verhoogde hartslag, en
b) emoties of gevoelens het gevolg zijn van de gewaarwording of beleving van deze lichamelijk reacties.
De theorie wordt vaak geïllustreerd aan de hand van gezegden als 'wij zijn bedroefd omdat wij huilen' of 'wij zijn bang omdat wij weglopen'. De theorie gaat dus eigenlijk tegen onze intuïtie in die zegt dat lichamelijke reacties het gevolg (en niet de oorzaak) zijn van bepaalde emoties.
Een gelijkaardige theorie die hier speelt is de gezichtsfeedback hypothese of verder ook nog de theorie van de 'embodied cognition'. In elk geval tonen ze aan dat cognities niet steeds de emoties voorafgaan...
Dan over de studie zelf...
Botox wordt vaak gebruikt in de plastische heelkunde om rimpels weg te werken. Door deze stof in kleine hoeveelheden in te spuiten thv. bepaalde gelaatspieren, worden deze spieren verlamd en 'trekken' de rimpels ahw. weg.
De studie toont aan dat bij mensen die behandeld werden met Botox, het langer duurde vooraleer ze een emotie als 'angst' of 'kwaadheid' begrepen. Gelaatsuitdrukkingen helpen dus om emoties die beschreven worden in een tekst, beter te begrijpen.
verschenen in 'Psychological Science': University of Wisconsin-Madison (2010, January 30). Can blocking a frown keep bad feelings at bay?. ScienceDaily.The new study reported on 40 people who were treated with botulinum toxin, or Botox. Tiny applications of this powerful nerve poison were used to deactivate muscles in the forehead that cause frowning....
Scientists have found that blocking the ability to move the body causes changes in cognition and emotion, but there were always questions...
To test how blocking a frown might affect comprehension of language related to emotions, Havas asked the patients to read written statements, before and then two weeks after the Botox treatment. The statements were angry ("The pushy telemarketer won't let you return to your dinner"); sad ("You open your email in-box on your birthday to find no new emails"); or happy ("The water park is refreshing on the hot summer day.")
Havas gauged the ability to understand these sentences according to how quickly the subject pressed a button to indicate they had finished reading it....
The results showed no change in the time needed to understand the happy sentences. But after Botox treatment, the subjects took more time to read the angry and sad sentences. Although the time difference was small, it was significant,...
"There is a long-standing idea in psychology, called the facial feedback hypothesis," says Havas. "Essentially, it says, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. It's an old song, but it's right. Actually, this study suggests the opposite: When you're not frowning, the world seems less angry and less sad."...
Practically, the study "may have profound implications for the cosmetic-surgery," says Glenberg. "Even though it's a small effect, in conversation, people respond to fast, subtle cues about each other's understanding, intention and empathy. If you are slightly slower reacting as I tell you about something made me really angry, that could signal to me that you did not pick up my message."
In theoretical terms, the finding supports a psychological hypothesis called "embodied cognition," says Glenberg, now a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. "The idea of embodied cognition is that all our cognitive processes, even those that have been thought of as very abstract, are actually rooted in basic bodily processes of perception, action and emotion."...
This study shows that far from being divorced from emotion, language understanding can be hindered when those peripheral bodily mechanism are interrupted."
