Perspective on Emotions

Parts of the physiological influences and social influences on emotions made sense to me. I do think that when we encounter something, we have a physiological reaction first before it develops into an emotion. When we get excited or nervous about something, our heart rate might increase. Physiological reactions can happen without us even realizing it because we are more focused on the event at hand than our body’s first reaction. I also think social influences are a big part of emotions because there are certain situations and norms we are taught to feel a certain way about. Framing rules guide events like weddings and special occasions with certain emotions we are supposed to have towards it. Feeling rules reflect our values in culture and social groups by telling us “what we have a right to feel or what we are expected to feel in particular situations” (Wood, p. 177). I thought these perspectives gave useful insight because it focuses on certain aspects that may affect us without us even realizing it. When physiological influences happen, we probably brush them aside because we think it is a result of the emotion instead of the other way around. Social influences explain why certain emotions are reserved for certain situations.