什麼是情緒

一種情感方面的意識（consciousness），通常被認為是主觀的感受、行為的表達和神經化學活動的綜合表現。大部分的研究者主張，情緒是人類演化遺蹟的一部分，藉由增加一般知覺和促進社交而逐漸適應的結果。1872年達爾文（Charles Darwin）首度提出非人類的動物也具有情緒。有廣泛影響的早期情緒理論家是美國的詹姆斯和蘭格（Carl Georg Lange, 1834～1900），他們認為情緒是人對外在刺激而產生的體內生理反應的一種知覺。甘農（Walter B. Cannon）質疑這種觀點，並引導人注意視丘（thalamus）可能是情緒反應的一種源頭。後來的研究者把焦點轉向腦幹結構，即網狀結構，它結合了腦部活動和可引發情緒的認知或行動。認知心理學家們已著重研究在情緒形成中比較、相稱性、評估、記憶、屬性所扮演的角色。所有的現代理論家都認同情緒影響了人們的知覺、學習和回憶，以及在個人發展上扮演重要的作用。跨文化研究顯示，許多情緒是全世界一樣的，但它們所表達出的特別含意和風俗卻大不相同。

emotion

Affective aspect of consciousness. The emotions are generally understood as representing a synthesis of subjective experience, expressive behavior, and neurochemical activity. Most researchers hold that they are part of the human evolutionary legacy and serve adaptive ends by adding to general awareness and the facilitation of social communication. Some nonhuman animals are also considered to possess emotions, as first described by Charles Darwin in 1872. An influential early theory of emotion was that proposed independently by William James and Carl Georg Lange (1834-1900), who held that emotion was a perception of internal physiological reactions to external stimuli. Walter B. Cannon questioned this view and directed attention to the thalamus as a possible source of emotional content. Later researchers have focused on the brain-stem structure known as the reticular formation, which serves to integrate brain activity and may infuse perceptions or actions with emotional valence. Cognitive psychologists have emphasized the role of comparison, matching, appraisal, memory, and attribution in the forming of emotions. All modern theorists agree that emotions influence what people perceive, learn, and remember, and play an important part in personality development. Cross-cultural studies have shown that, whereas many emotions are universal, their specific content and manner of expression vary considerably.