25 Darwin was probably the first scientist to study the evolution of emotional reactions and facial expressions systematically and to recognise the importance of emotions for the adaptation of the organism to various stimuli and environmental situations. Scientists are still arguing over the exact number of emotions, some researchers maintain there are only four, others count as many as 27. A seventh primary emotion has been added to the list. Do you know which one? EMOTIONS What are emotions? From an evolutionary perspective , emotions allow for the coordination of a whole range of different processes with the goal of resolving immediate and urgent issues, and in fact they are mainly regulated by the most primitive part of the brain, the limbic system. In other words, emotions are a response of our body to an event or a situation, but the exact definition of emotion is still a topic of controversy since emotions are complex and multifaceted. There is no single explanation for where they come from or how they work, but we know that they are an essential part of what makes us human. They help us navigate the world around us, form connections with others, and respond to different situations in meaningful ways. How emotions are processed The brain processes emotions in a series of steps. to assess: valutare contentment: appagamento issue: problema to reframe: ricostruire reward: ricompensa roadblock: blocco, impedimento standpoint: punto di vista to trigger: scatenare upbringing: educazione Happiness Assessment: information coming from the outside world is assessed. This occurs often unconsciously since the evaluation takes place in the limbic system, which, having fewer layers of neurons to process information, does it fast but without taking into account all the relevant information. For example, we see a tiger and the limbic system starts evaluating its implications. Assignment: information is assigned an emotional value. Different systems in the brain connect the stimulus with an emotional value, working together and integrating external factors such as our environment, our upbringing, our genetics and even our experience, Sadness Fear Disgust motivation, and context. For example, the amygdala associates tigers with danger. Recognition: the emotion is recognised. A sterotyped reaction begins, our body identifies the symptoms and feels the emotion. For example, the amygdala stimulates an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, and we feel fear. Communication or regulation: the emotion is communicated or regulated. According to the context, we let our body explicitly express that emotion or keep it under control if inappropriate; alternatively, we could re-assess the emotion and consciously reframe the context of the stimulus that provoked that reaction. For example, our face and body show fear, or we try to behave courageously anyway, or we remind ourselves that it is just a documentary rather than the real thing. Basic emotions Most current theories of emotion believe that emotions are biologically determined and that there are primary emotions that are innate, expressed in the first six months of life, associated with specific facial expressions, and equally recognised in different cultures across the world. These six basic emotions were identified in the 1970s by Dr Paul Ekman: happiness sadness fear Anger anger surprise disgust. Surprise