CHAPTER PREVIEW1. 1 Emotion in Interpersonal Communication2. 2 The Nature of Emotion3. 3 Influences on Emotional Experience and Expression4. 4 Sharpening Your Emotional Communication SkillsAWASH IN EMOTIONIn an episode of the Fox television show Glee, Kurt Hummel (played by Chris Colfer) sat at the bedside of his father Burt (played by Mike O'Malley), who had recently suffered a heart attack and was in a coma. Kurt was overwhelmed with a wide range of emotions. He felt guilty about an argument they'd had the lasttime they spoke. He was fearful of losing his father and saddened at the thought of life without him. He feltgrateful for the support of his friends and ashamed that he had neglected them earlier. And when his dad began to squeeze his hand, Kurt felt surprised, happy, and profoundly hopeful that Burt might recover. The intensity of Kurt's many emotions helped him to realize how important his father was to him.Page 246Emotion is a powerful force. When we experience an intense emotion, such as the profound sorrow of losing a loved one or the profound joy of reuniting with one, it can seem as though our emotionsconsume us. In some respects, that's exactly what happens: Our emotions are so connected to our body, mind, and behaviors that they practically overtake us. Understanding this powerful and often mysterious force can therefore help us to appreciate the enormous role it plays in the ways we relate to others.1 Emotion in Interpersonal CommunicationSo much of what we say, think, and do is affected by our emotions; yet we seldom stop to consider what emotions are. We realize that emotions cause us to feel and act in certain ways, but why? In this section, we'll define emotions and consider how they are related to moods. We'll then examine specific forms of emotions that are joyful and affectionate, hostile, or sad and anxious, considering their applications to interpersonal communication as we do.What Is an Emotion?Emotion might seem like the kind of phenomenon you can't really define, but when you feel it, you certainly recognize it. Emotions can be powerful, even life-changing, experiences, but what kind of experiences are they, exactly? According to researchers, an emotion is the body's multidimensional response to any event that enhances or inhibits a person's goals.1 For example, you feel nervous before afinal exam because the possibility of failing interferes with your goal of passing it. Doing well on the exam makes you happy because your goal has been met; doing poorly makes you angry or disappointed because your goal has been inhibited. You feel sad when a cherished pet dies because your goal of maintaining a relationship with that pet has been thwarted. Basically speaking, emotion is your mind and body's way of reacting so that meeting your goals feels good, and not meeting them feels bad.EMOTION IS DIFFERENT FROM MOOD. Many people refer to emotions as moods (and vice versa), but moods and emotions are different experiences. Whereas an emotion is a response to a specific event (such as passing an exam or losing a pet), a mood is a feeling that has no specific identifiable cause.2 You might feel as though you're in a good or a bad mood for no obvious reason. If you can identifythe reason you feel good or bad, then you're probably experiencing an emotion rather than a mood. Moods also are more persistent, often lasting for days or weeks at a time.3 In contrast, most emotions are relatively short-lived.Emotions come in many forms. Communication scientist and emotion expert Laura Guerrero has suggested that we can understand many emotions by placing them in one of three categories: (1) joyfuland affectionate, (2) hostile, or (3) sad and anxious.4 Let's look at some of the specific emotions that constitute each category.Communication scientist Laura Guerrero suggests that most emotions fit one of three categories: those that are joyful or affectionate, those that are hostile, and those that are sad or anxious.Page 247Joyful/Affectionate Emotions: Happiness, Love, Passion, and LikingWhat makes you happy? If you're like most people, your personal relationships are high on the list.5 Feeling connected to others is a source of profound joy for many people, and emotional experiences of joy and happiness play an important role in making those relationships rewarding. In this section, we will look at the emotions of happiness, love, passion, and liking to understand their functions in interpersonal communication.HAPPINESS. Of all human emotions, happiness is one of the most easily and universally recognized.6 Happiness is a state of contentment, joy, pleasure, and cheer. People in all known cultures display happiness by smiling, laughing, and being energetic, and they all interpret those behaviors as indicating happiness.7To some extent, happiness begins as an individual experience. When we feel happy, however, our tendency is to approach and reconnect with people.8 In other words, happiness tends to make us share our joy with others by seeking contact and being emotionally expressive in our interactions.9 Those behaviors, in turn, often make the other party happy, so that happiness becomes a truly social experience.Research indicates that happiness also contributes to our health and well-being by helping us recover from the harmful effects of stress.10LOVE AND PASSION. Love can be easier to recognize than to define. One reason is that we experience so many forms of love, including romantic love, love for friends, love for family members, love for God, and love for the self. Love is a remarkably powerful emotion that motivates people to behave in ways they otherwise would not. Love for a romantic partner, for instance, can cause people to quit their jobs, sell their homes, and even move thousands of miles to be together. Likewise, people makeextraordinary sacrifices out of love for their children or love for God. Love, therefore, means caring for, feeling attached to, and feeling deeply committed to someone.11Some forms of love are accompanied by passion, an emotion that mixes feelings of joy and surprise with experiences of excitement and attraction for the target of our passion.12 People often feel passion in the early stages of a romantic or sexual relationship, when behaviors such as kissing, handholding, saying “I love you,” and interacting sexually are novel. Because passion is partially based on surprise, it is enhanced by the novelty of those