FAQ: The physiology of emotions

6 facts about the origin of emotions and their effects on the body and human health

The problem of emotions and emotional stress is significant not only from the point of view of science, it has today an extremely strong influence on people's health.

• 1.On the influence of emotions on the human body

The impact of emotions on human health may be different. I think that a wide range of people know that negative emotions can contribute to various diseases, and these diseases is expanding circle. And if we are talking about psychosomatic diseases, then they carry including autoimmune, cancer and other diseases. That is, not only the purely neuronal diseases.

At the same time it is known for the power of positive emotions. Actually, this can be based, including therapeutic and even homeopathic therapies. (you can improve your mood taking Phenotropil, Semax, Phenibut).

• 2.On the occurrence of emotions

Back in the 1950s, Paul McLain, American neurophysiologist, it was found that emotions arise in specific brain structures, which he called the limbic structures. This subcortical structures - the amygdala, the brain and other partition. In them there emotional arousal, which then applies to all kinds of parts of the central nervous system - and the cortex and the spinal cord and, in general, covers after the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system, there are a variety of organs. Practically we may say that every cell in the body reacts to our emotions. This allowed to bring one of the aspects of life of the holographic theory, which was proposed by Academician Konstantin Sudakov: each component of the system (the body) reflects the general properties of the system. Thus, in each cell, you can find a reflection of the general emotional processes. It is no coincidence that, in response to an emotional state changes the work of all the organs: the heart, and liver, and kidneys, and skin, and adipose tissue.

• 3.Control emotions

Initial reaction occurs in the neurons of the limbic system. Paul MacLean, formulated this theory, said the so-called "triple brain", which includes a hierarchical subordination levels of the nervous system. He talked about the brain of the ancient reptiles, ancient mammals and modern mammals, of subordination of these structures and the fact that mammals (especially men) are able with the help of the cortical regions of the brain to control the work of these ancient limbic parts of the nervous system and thus to control these emotions.

An important role in the initiation of these emotional areas of the brain plays a primary hypothalamus. It is the center of the endocrine regulation, the center of the autonomic regulation of the body, the center and motivation (hunger, thirst), this is a very powerful and a very small section of the brain (about 150 nuclei at a distance of about 1 cm apart). It is very important to generate the emotional and motivational states. Emotion and motivation are interrelated. Further access to the peripheral level is carried out by means of hormonal regulation (hypothalamus - pacemaker humoral regulation), since it is allocated a number of key hormones that, like a tuning fork, set the tone for almost all the other endocrine glands. There, in the hypothalamus, is the center of the autonomic, ie, unconscious nervous regulation of body processes. Therefore emotions spread and affect all body functions.

• 4.On the origin of emotions

Emotional states are mixed in different individuals. From what depends on what emotions arise - positive or negative? It is clear, I think, all it does not depend on the situation. The same situation for different subjects or even for a subject who is in different states, might cause completely different emotions. So from what depends on the nature of the emotions?

Here I would like to recall our outstanding physiologist Academician Anokhin, who is the author of the theory of functional systems. This is our physiological basis, and it is the key to understanding many of the problems that can occur in humans by examining various issues related to the functioning of the body. According to the ideas of Anokhin and his scientific school of emotions arise when processing parameters obtained by the action results in what is called the acceptor of action results.

If the result of the activities going on to compare the results with the expected, that is, those that the body expects to recover as a result of their activities. And if the results do not coincide with the expected, there is a negative emotion is a sign that is unpleasant, but it mobilizes the body to find the optimal solution for achieving the result, which was initially programmed to start-up, the result needed ultimately for survival.

Another important thing to remember about dominant principle, proposed Alexei Ukhtomsky: at any given time is a dominant kind of main motivation for survival of the organism. Thus, the body eventually reaches through the unpleasant emotion or other important survival results to adapt the body to the living conditions.

The stronger the emotion occur sooner in some extent, the body reaches the result that supplied and which is essential for the survival of the individual, the type and may be the entire population. If the result is achieved through some trial and error, through the negative results, the award - positive emotions, pleasure, which confirms the importance and the fact that meet the needs, to achieve one or another result that is relevant at any given time.

• 5.On the negative emotional stagnation

From here we can already make a start, to go to understand the complex processes in a situation where there is a long persistent negative emotional excitation in the brain. The substrate for summation of negative emotions can be "circles" in the limbic system that can provide continuous circulation of emotional arousal negative sign in structures, such as a partition, the amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, the hippocampus big circle (circle Papeca) and others.

Thus, with this chronic condition can not be instantaneously stopped these emotional stagnant processes, as we would have liked. This leads to the fact that the body can get into a situation where it takes a long time for the output of a negative emotional state. Sometimes even have to completely change afferentation, for some long time to go to the sea, the mountains, the village, as they did in the Russian nobles. It is interesting to note that, in contrast to the negative and positive emotions are not cumulative. They pleasing, but they are not overlapped. Risk of long-term negative emotions is especially in their summarized.

• 6.Prospects in emotion research

Scientists are working actively in terms of understanding of various complex mechanisms of emotional states. From here there are so many pressing problems, such as genetic predisposition to emotional states. It is known that in the population there are always individuals who are more or less emotional. We see it not only in humans but also in dogs, rats and other species.