The Biology Of The Human Emotions

Neurological doctrines make sure that activities inside the brain direct
emotional responses. Physiological principles suggest that responses inside
the body have a direct link to emotions. Cognitive theories maintain the
belief that ideas and other thinking processes perform vital function in the
production of feeling states.

The Biological Regulators Of Emotions

The cerebral cortex is associated with processing thoughts and actions. The
cerebral cortex is divided into four sections called lobes: The frontal lobe,
Parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe.

The Frontal Lobe: Associated with reasoning, planning, movement,

emotions, and problem solving.

Parietal Lobe: Associated with movement,orientation, perception of stimuli.

Occipital Lobe: Associated with visual processing.

Temporal Lobe: Associated with perception and recognition of auditory

stimuli.
 The Limbic System

The limbic system is also known as The Emotional Brain. The limbic system
contains the thalamus, hypothalamus,amygdala, and hippocampus.

Thalamus: Has sensory and motor functions. Almost all sensory information
enters this structure where the neurons send that information to the
overlying cortex.

Hypothalamus: The functions include homeostasis, emotions,thirst, and

hunger.

Amygdala: Involves memory, emotion,and fear.

Hippocampus: Is important for learning and memory for converting short

term memory to more permanent memory, and for recalling spatial
relationships in the world about us.

Neurotransmitters

They are the brain chemicals that communicate information throughout our
brain and body. They relay signals between nerve cells, called neurons.
There are two kinds of neurotransmitters, Excitatory and Inhibitory.
Excitatory neurotransmitters are not necessarily exciting even though
they stimulate the brain. The ones that calm the brain and help create
balance are called Inhibitory. They balance mood and are easily depleted
when Excitatory neurotransmitters are overactive.
 The Neural Basis Of Happines

The brain can be divided into different areas based on function. Two basic
divisions are the lower brain, also known as the reptilian brain, and the upper
brain, known as the mammalian brain,.
The mammalian brain, as the name suggests, is present in mammals
but to a proportionally greater degree in humans. Another name for this
area of the brain is known as the lobes. The reptilian brain contains several
structures comprising the limbic system. 30 years ago brain scientist
believed that this area of the brain was exclusively dedicated to the
processing of emotions. But now we know that the limbic system has
intricate connections with the frontal lobes.
Through functional MRI technology, Dr. Richard Davidson demonstrated
that the left side of the frontal lobe, known as the prefrontal cortex, is more
active when people feel happy. In contrast the right side of the frontal lobe,
the right prefrontal cortex, is more active when people feel sad. So, by
learning what stimulates the left prefrontal cortex we can encourage or even
train people to be happier. Also by learning what calms the activity in the
right prefrontal cortex we discourage or train people to reduce sadness.
 Chemicals That Control Emotion

Serotonin: Helps control many functions, such as mood, appetite, and sleep.
It is also known as the leadership chemical. It is the feeling of pride we get
when we perceive others like or respect us. It makes us feel strong and
confident like we can take on anything. And the more confidence boosting ,
it raises our status.

Oxytocin: Is also known as the love chemical. It is the feeling of

friendship,love, or deep trust. It is the feeling we get when were in the
company of our closest friends or trusted colleagues. It is the feeling we get
when we do something nice for someone or when someone does something
ice for us. It is responsible for all the warm and fuzzies. Without this
chemical there would be no empathy. This chemical makes us social unlike
dopamine which is about instant gratifications, where as oxytocin is long
lasting.

Dopamine: Is the reason for the good feeling we get when we find something
we are looking for or do something that needs to get done. It is responsible
for the feeling of satisfaction after you finished and important task.

Endorphins: Serve to mask physical pain. you can't laugh and be scared at
the same time. because of this chemical. During tense times, a little
lightheartedness may go a long way to help relax those around us and
reduce tensions so that we can focus on getting our jobs done. This is also
known as Runner's high.

Cortisol: Is responsible for the stress and anxiety we experience when

something gets bumpy. Cortisol actually inhibits the release of oxytocin, the
chemical responsible for empathy,. This means that when people feel unsafe
or threatened in their environment, it actually makes us more selfish and less
concerned about one another or the organization.

Negative Body Image Study

People with anorexia nervosa and with body dysmorphic disorder have
similar abnormalities in their brains that affect their ability to process visual
information, a new UCLA study shows.
The researchers found that people with both body disorders had
abnormal brain activity in the visual cortex of the brain during the very first
instants when the brain process global information, or images as a whole,
as opposed to a tiny detail. For both of these disorders, participants were
encouraged to not focus on details and process objects more globally.
The UCLA researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or
FMRI, to detect regional abnormalities in visual processing and EEG to assess
the timeline for how the brain processes those signals. They compared
results for 15 people with anorexia nervosa, 15 people with dysmorphic body
disorder and 15 healthy people.
The study shows that people with anorexia and those with body
dysmorphic disorder showed less activity in the regions of the brain that
convey primarily global information, although the effect did appear in smaller
regions in those with anorexia. Both differences were linked to electrical
activity occurring within the first 200 milliseconds after the person viewed
the image.
 Body Image

Body image is the perception that a person has of their physical self and the
thoughts and feelings that results from perception. These feelings can be
positive or negative. Body image is determined by four factors:

1. How you see your body is your perceptual body image. This isnt
always a correct representation of how you actually look.
2. The way you feel about your body is your affective body image. This
relates to the amount of satisfaction or dissatisfaction you feel about
your shape, weight, and individual body parts.
3. The way you think about your body is your cognitive body image.
This can lead to preoccupation with body shape and weight.
4. Behaviors in which you engage as a result of your body image
encompass your behavioral body image. When a person is dissatisfied
with the way he/she looks, they may isolate themselves because they
feel bad about their appearance.
 Creating A Positive Body Image

Creating a positive body image does not mean the way you view yourself is
permanently fixed. We can learn to develop a healthier and more accurate
view of ourselves, thus challenging the distortions in the mirror. Self-imaging
occurs over a lifetime. A healthy self-image starts with learning to accept
and love ourselves. It also means being accepted and loved by others.
Changing negative body image means more than changing our body. It
means changing how we think,feel,and react to our body. Self-image is
important because how we think about ourselves affects how we feel about
our bodies and how we interact with others and the world around us. A
positive self-image can boost our physical,mental,social,emotional,and
spiritual well-being. On the other hand a negative self-image can decrease
our satisfaction and ability to function in these areas.

1. Complete acceptance:You need complete acceptance, acceptance of

your current situation and accept the past.
2. Find and change irrational beliefs: Growing up you get all sorts of
beliefs from authority figures. These beliefs are now unconsciously
running your life. Some of them helpful others very damaging.
3. Confidence: Confidence is a very important part of maintaining a
healthy body image. When youre looking in the mirror,focus on your
good features, give yourself some compliments. If you respect yourself
and your body, you are less likely to engage in unhealthy activities.
 Development of your body image

We do not develop our body image all on its own. The people around us and
our culture strongly influence it. We get positive and negative messages
about our bodies from family and friends starting from when you are young.
Your emotional state also influences your body image. When work or
relationships become stressful, many people notice that their body image
can be affected. Negative body images develops when someone feels their
body does not measure up to family,social, or media ideals especially when
they measure themselves against the standards of beauty commonly seen in
the media.
 How Social Media Affects Your Body Image
Social media can be very toxic for your body image. Social media often
revolves around appearance and your popularity. By gaining likes and
followers you are gaining popularity, but if you dont have a certain
amount you often feel like you arent as cool. People will spend a great deal
of time checking out how they look compared to others. The way people
present themselves on social media can also contribute to problems for body
image. People often try to represent themselves in the best lighting or with
perfect makeup. And its not unusual for people to spend a great deal of
time planning their best selfie. They will also photoshop their flaws away,
add filters, or even use makeup looks to create the perfect image. They
worry about how others will react to them if they dont look perfect. All of
the photoshopping can create a negative self-image you are focusing on your
flaws and not your highlights.
A common self survey called Children, Teens, and body image found
that many teens who are active online worry about how they are perceived,
and that girls are particularly vulnerable:

35 percent are worried about people tagging them in unattractive

photos
27 percent feel stressed about how they look in photos
22 percent felt bad about themselves if their photos were ignored
 The Negative Effects Of Instagram

Over the years the popularity of an app called instagram has risen. The
question is how does instagram effect your body negatively? A study shows
that females are more likely to compare themselves to models,peers, and
friends on instagram than males. Often people when they post on instagram
go through great deal to get the right photo like: finding the perfect lighting,
having the perfect background, making sure you have the best makeup, or
even making sure your outfit is on point. Even after all of that we still take
multiple pictures to find the right one then go and put filters or fake makeup
on to make ourselves fit the beauty standards. Now after you did all that
work to cover up your so called flaws and you feel you didnt get enough
likes or comment on the pictures you may feel obligated to edit your picture
more or try different things to make yourself look better, so more people will
like your photo next time. This is creating a negative Body and self image. If
you have an eating disorder and use the app instagram the negative effects
can be even more detrimental to you than anyone else. On instagram you
can find all kinds of accounts good or bad. There are a collection of accounts
dedicated to promoting eating disorders. These accounts are ran by people
who also suffer from them. They encourage you to keep losing weight
anyway you can, so you can reach your goal weight. By doing this you are
gaining their approval by going deeper into your disorder. It becomes
addicting to receive the positive feedback they are giving you for staying
skinny which is unhealthy for your body and your self image.
 Comparing Themselves To Models

On the app instagram there are many models promoting themselves. You
will see there adds while scrolling through your feed. When scrolling you
notice how you dont look as thin as they do or your skin isnt as perfect.
Instagram models devote many hours to looking so perfect. But by
comparing yourself you are creating a negative view of your body. These
models post pictures of their perfect bodies with the perfect outfits. When
seeing this you realize that you dont look like that you lose self confidence.
You start to wonder how you can look like that. Maybe you start a diet and
exercise so you can be just like them. You want their perfect skin, perfect
hair and perfect life. Often people will buy expensive makeup or skincare
products to get their face looking as smooth as theirs. When they dont
achieve this they start to become obsessed with changing their appearance
so they can become perfect. Studies also show that people who are
focused on looking like people you they see online perform worse in school
and develop body disorders.

Whats Going On In Your Brain

In your brain you have a chemical called cortisol when you are looking at
your feed and seeing how you dont look like them you may experience
anxiety. Cortisol is responsible for the way you are feeling. You may even
feel threatened by them which is because of the cortisol in your brain.
When you are feeling stressed or sad the right prefrontal cortex is more
active in your brain When are hard on yourself you can start to develop
depression which will make the situation way worse.

Effects Of Instagram On People With Anorexia

`When you have anorexia you see yourself as fatter than you actually are.
When you use instagram you will be scrolling through your feed when you
see people posting pictures of themselves and you think the are thinner than
you. By seeing that you strive to be even thinner feeding into your disorder.
On instagram people with anorexia could look up #thinspiration and find
images of people that are thin so they can strive to be as thin. There are
also accounts that promote anorexia. They help people stay on track to their
goal weight. When looking at these accounts you will find diets to try and
exercise plans. All of the information on these accounts is extremely
unhealthy. The way the encourage each other is very harming to themselves
and others. They are feeding off of eachother's disorders and they are falling
deeper into the disorder. They tell each other when they are looking fat and
that decreases their confidence and body image. They try to get to their
goal weight by using extreme measures and after they get to their first goal
weight they get a sense of satisfaction.

Whats Going On in Your Brain

The chemical dopamine is responsible for the good feeling you get when you
complete something. In this case the chemical isnt good. When you get to
your goal weight you feel satisfied and you want to feel this chemical again.
Endorphins also play a big role in your brain. When you have anorexia it can
be painful when running because your bones are too weak so your
endorphins kick in to mask the physical pain this is also known as runner's
high. This chemical can be very addicting because it makes you feel good.
Serotonin is also a part of the chemicals you have in your brain. When you
have anorexia and someone comments that you look good or you are on the
right track to your goal weight. Serotonin is responsible for the feeling of
pride you get when you think someone likes what you're doing. This
chemical can give you confidence when being used the right way.

Effects Of Likes, Comments, And Followers On Instagram

When you post on instagram you want people to like and comment on your
pictures. You often become obsessed with wanting the most likes. You will
spend hours making the perfect picture and waiting for all the likes to come
in. If you feel that your picture didnt get enough likes you start to feel that
maybe you arent worth it or you dont look that good. Often when this
happens people will try to make their picture even better they may
photoshop the photo even more and apply more makeup, so people think
they are prettier. Instagram is like a popularity contest the more likes and
followers you have means the more friends you have. If you dont have a
certain number of followers it means you aren't popular and you have barely
any friends. You are always comparing yourself to people with the most
followers. You feel like you arent as cool or aren't as pretty when you dont
have as much followers. When this happens you lose a lot of confidence
quickly and that confidence is harder to get back than it is to loose.

What Is Going On In Your Brain

When you are constantly comparing yourself to others you are becoming
stressed and anxious with how you look. This is because of cortisol again.
When you too much cortisol being produced your stress levels are through
the roof. When you are stressed your brain doesnt work as well. The same
thing happens when you are anxious. Your brain has trouble separating the
irrational beliefs from the rational beliefs. By constantly comparing yourself
you are making your stress levels high more often than your brain can
handle. By having this happen it makes it harder for you to realise that the
world wont end if you dont get enough likes, comments, or followers. This
can be controlled with proper therapy or ways to relieve stress.

Body Image Survey

Do you think teens should be able to have unlimited access to social media

a) Yes
b) No
c) It depends on the maturity of the teen
d) I dont know