How does emotions affect behavior

Research shows that individuals within your own inner circle are better able to recognize and understand your emotions. Emotions can play an important role in how we think and behave.

The emotions we feel each day can compel us to take action and influence the decisions we make about our lives, both large and small. An expressive component how you behave in response to the emotion. One study found that being able to express your anger in a healthy way can even make you less likely to develop heart disease.

Feelings of anger arise due to how we interpret and react to certain situations. Everyone has their own triggers for what makes them angry, but some common ones include situations in which we feel: threatened or attacked. However, people with anger issues can only change if they make a commitment and put in the work. They have to want to change for themselves, not because someone else wants them to do it. We walk around a theme park, daydream by a window, or go out with friends so we can feel that joy.

But how does enjoyment fit in the workplace? Need evidence? Think of Friday afternoons around the office. Almost magically, at pm people start to work a little slower, go talk to their coworkers, and hit up Facebook. Inside, you are thinking about what you want to do that night, the movies you might see, the friends you might go out with, the family you get to enjoy.

In general, most of our minds are not on work. We go elsewhere for it. Every office sees these moments of enjoyment seeking. The guy in the cubicle next to you carefully looks around to see if anyone is watching and then quickly jumps on Facebook. Facebook, Farmville, and Youtube are the best friends of unhappy workers.

Imagine you are a photographer for the New York Post. You get a call to go to a building to photograph a promotional stunt. A woman there is going to hold on to a cable with just her teeth as she is lifted up the tall building. Then you start to notice a strained look on her face as she loses grip. Her body is now suddenly falling, you try to follow her descent hoping to get a clear picture before any accident happens when she reaches the bottom.

The picture above is what you get. Thankfully she survived, but the photo captures a brilliant example of surprise as two men saw exactly what you were imagining. But how does surprise affect ones behavior? Take the two men in this picture. What if you were to ask them right after witnessing this to complete a timed math test. How well do you expect them to concentrate? How has their heartbeat changed? What is on their minds? Do you want them to make an important decision right away?

Take a personal example. The pier is known for the quality of the street performers, one being the Bush Man. He literally disguises himself as a bush and sits still until he can leap out at an unsuspecting victim and thus earn his tip.

I happened to catch him in the act and see just what kind of effect this had on people. The woman here is obviously surprised. Her body is moving to her left, away from what is surprising her. Does she notice there is a bike coming into that path? If you felt no surprise or emotions would you make the same decision?

This particular street performer understands emotional intelligence and how to profit from it. Observe what he does next. After scaring the daylights out of his victim, he immediately runs up to the woman and asks for a tip. Her brain is scattered, she fumbles through her purse and gives him the first bill she finds.

Now compare that to a homeless person coming up to you with you fully aware and expecting the request for spare change. At the beginning of the film, Riley's sadness interferes with these golden balls of joy-filled memories. When a core golden memory is touched by sadness, the gold fades to deep blue, and joy becomes frustrated. Later, we learn through Riley's various experiences that the blue and gold tones representing sadness and joy can work well together, weaving beautiful contrast to create a lasting core memory.

These core memories are stored in "long-term" and eventually become a part of our Personality Islands, or what I have labeled as the Islands of Self. The questions below are designed to ignite your creativity and thought processes as you integrate topics and standards into morning meetings, afternoon circles, and subject matter -- as you embrace the power of feelings and how they intimately affect learning, relationships, and behaviors.

What types of core memories could you create in your classrooms and buildings with students and teachers? These memories could be emotional, academic, or social, reflecting a new relationship, a novel way of attempting an assignment, or a collaboration project with others. How can we create core memories that energize, pique curiosity, and bring joy to our students?

Do students understand the negative role that stress plays in cognitive functioning with regard to learning, memorizing, and retrieving information? How might we begin a class period or day with an emotional check-in?

What is the weather in your brain? Could we use laminated notecards with the primary emotions for younger students and the primary and secondary emotions for older students?

Students could display the feeling that they are holding as they begin class and note how it changes throughout the day. These questions were designed for promoting student discussion, self-reflection, and self-awareness. How do you cope with Sadness? Can you use your Sadness to feel better? What would happen if we never felt Sadness? Is it sometimes good to keep Sadness inside a circle so that it does not spread and get out of control?

When was Fear needed in your life? How did Fear help you? What is the perfect amount of Fear?