Do People Fake Emotional Responses - Essay Example

? EMOTIONS Emotions (Part 3) Do people fake emotional responses? It is important that we are aware of the fact that all emotions displayed by people are not always true. This question is of significance so that we can understand that emotions are feigned sometimes in certain situations. This question can be answered by providing examples of people and situations in which emotions are artificial as well as by providing evidence from research regarding fake emotions. Actors are perfect examples of people who display fake emotions during plays and films. Though this display of emotions is not occurring in real life situations, but this explains the fact that it is possible to fake these responses (Regt et al 2012). Fake emotional displays are known to be shown by people but research has shown that these emotional responses tend to make a person feel low and reduce his level of confidence. Research that was conducted by Dr Brent Scott displayed that fact that people who tend to fake emotions of happiness result in being even sadder (The Telegraph 2011). But another research conducted by psychologist Chiara Amat highlighted the fact that more effective managers in the workplace are those who are able to fake their emotions towards their employees to enhance their confidence and to make a better environment in the workplace (BBC 2013). Thus, it is true that people do fake their emotional responses. Do people make decisions based on emotion or reason? Emotions have a great effect on the everyday life of an individual and thus the impact of emotions on decision making is an important subject. It is thus significant to know whether people make decisions based on emotion or reason. Research by psychologists in different situations can be the best way to answer this question. Researches have assessed the fact that emotions have a very strong role to play in decision making. They play a major role in situations when a person is under pressure. At that point, a person takes steps based on his emotions but these decisions may not always be right and are more like gambling (Williams 2011). Psychologists argue that in difficult situations, a person loses his ability to think properly and his power of reasoning does not function perfectly. This leads to taking emotional decisions. It is argued that the soundest decisions are those where both reasoning and emotional power is used. It is also true that decisions taken with negative emotions can prove to be wrong (Williams 2011). Thus, in normal situations people take decisions based on both emotion and reason. Bibliography BBC. (10 January 2013). Better managers 'fake emotions', Edinburgh scientists find. [online]. BBC. Available at: [Accessed 25 April 2013]  REGT, H. W. D., HARTMANN, S., & OKASHA, S. (2012). EPSA philosophy of science Amsterdam 2009. Dordrecht, Springer. THE TELEGRAPH.(23 February 2011). Fake smiling makes you miserable. [online]. The Telegraph. Available at: [Accessed 25 April 2013]  WILLIAMS, R. (25 September 2011). How Can We Make Better Decisions? [online]. Psychology Today. Available at: [Accessed 25 April 2013]  Part 4 Emotion Discourse The article “Emotion Discourse,” written by Derek Edwards and published in the year 1999, discusses the meaning of emotions in the light of discursive psychology. Discursive psychology is basically an analysis of the way in which an individual utilizes and presents emotions in his daily life and in his interaction with other people. Edwards has used different textual presentations from the counseling’s of different couples to show how people present their emotions in their everyday life and how these emotions help in understanding a person’s thoughts and the acts that he performs. The author has provided a conclusion to understanding emotions by explaining that emotions do not arise from reasoning and detailed mental thought process. Furthermore, one cannot expect to see a similar emotional response in a similar emotional condition from everyone. Emotions are rather displayed differently by everyone in different situations and they do not arise from cognition. Another important fact about emotions is that they can be presented linguistically in different ways. The rich vocabularies of words and symbols that can be used to describe emotions explain the fact that emotions can be expressed in different ways verbally and every emotional word can have different meanings for different situations. Discursive psychology provides an in depth review and understanding of what emotions basically are. Emotions can be used to explain the feelings of an individual and are actually the basis for the acts that an individual is performing. Emotions are not a physiological characteristic of an individual but they are true presentations of how a person feels in different cultural setups. Emotions are not superficial but rather deep rooted within an individual and they are used by a person to express his emotional, physical and mental state. The discussions and talks of a person can be used to assess his personal thoughts and the status of his social relationships. Emotions do not have a fixed definite meaning. Emotions are understood, assessed and deduced not in the same way everywhere. This is because every cultural and social setup has its own particular defining characteristic of emotions and emotions are expressed differently in different cultures. Emotion discourse basically describes the fact how language is used by people to express their acts and emotional states with regard to their behavior and the decisions that they take. These emotional expressions are within the local bounds and limits set by the society and the particular culture. An important part of emotional discourse is the way in which an individual presents his emotions and the language and the verbal skills that he utilizes in doing so. The words that are used to express emotions are understood in context of the entire situation in which they are being said and the emotional words are used to support the sequence of events. Emotions can be understood in context to social situations and they should not be considered alone as merely the feelings of a person. Furthermore, they are also not greatly linked with cognition. They are meant to be understood in depth in relation to the occurrences in the social circle of a person and the language that the person uses to explain his emotions should be linked properly to the circumstances under which he is presenting his thoughts to reflect the true meaning and correctly understand his emotions. The example of the counseling of the couple of Connie and Jimmy is used where Connie initially blames her husband of being jealous. But Jimmy then expressed his emotion of anger by saying that it was the constant push from Connie that made him angry and behave with Connie in the manner that he was. The entire conversation helped in explaining the true emotions of the couple. Emotions of an individual can greatly be assessed by his verbal and speech analysis. Different kinds of emotions are presented by a person in different situations. The emotional presentation of a person is dependent upon his linguistic skills and every individual has different ways of displaying his emotions verbally. The role of cognition is greatly overestimated as playing a part in an individual’s emotional display. It is widely believed that the thinking process of an individual is greatly involved in the way that he shows his emotions. This is not entirely correct. Discourse psychology highlights the fact that the cultural settings of an individual and a person’s verbal skills and ways seem to play a great role in comparison in the display of a person’s emotions. In different cultural and social settings, every individual behaves in a different manner. The language and conversation utilized by people in different cultures is varied and thus in a similar manner, the emotional representation by people of different culture is also not the same. Psychological discourse thus provides a greater meaning to emotions and explains ways of how they should be properly understood. Bibliography EDWARDS, D. (1999). Emotion Discourse. Culture & Psychology. 5, 271-292. Read More