All posts tagged: emotions

How different negative emotions change the size of your pupils

How different negative emotions change the size of your pupils

Published by José Betancourt

When people feel disgust or sadness, their pupils involuntarily widen. Conversely, feelings of anger are associated with a narrowing of the pupils, setting it apart from other negative mental states. These distinct physical responses occur even when individuals experience mixed feelings at the exact same moment. The research was published in Biological Psychology. The size of the human pupil is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which governs involuntary body functions. Pupil dilation reflects the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This is the same biological network responsible for the body’s fight or flight response. When this system springs into action, it engages a specific muscle in the iris that pulls the pupil open. A wider pupil increases a person’s overall field of vision, allowing them to scan the broader environment for potential threats. Pupil constriction relies on the parasympathetic nervous system, which usually helps the body rest and digest. When this system takes over, the dilating muscle relaxes and another muscle pinches the pupil shut. A smaller pupil narrows the field of view. This …

Job seekers mask their emotions and act more analytical when evaluated by artificial intelligence

Job seekers mask their emotions and act more analytical when evaluated by artificial intelligence

Published by José Betancourt

When people know an artificial intelligence program is evaluating them for a job or college program, they alter their behavior to appear more analytical and less emotional. These strategic changes could lead to inaccurate evaluations and alter who ultimately gets selected for important positions. The initial findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. With the rapid advancement of computing technology, organizations increasingly use automated tools to sort through applicants. Hiring managers and university admissions officers adopt these automated systems to increase efficiency and handle large volumes of candidates. Often, these programs take the form of video interview software, personality assessments, or automated resume screeners. At the same time, governments are passing new laws requiring transparency in hiring and admissions. For example, the Artificial Intelligence Act in the European Union mandates that organizations disclose whenever they use algorithmic systems in high-stakes situations. Similar local laws, such as one recently enacted in New York City, also require employers to tell job seekers when automated tools are active. Because of these transparency …

Women Who Have Lost Their Mothers Usually Feel These 11 Emotions Almost Daily

Women Who Have Lost Their Mothers Usually Feel These 11 Emotions Almost Daily

Published by Jenni Sidey

It’s impossible to put the loss of anyone and the grieving experience that follows into a box. It’s like glitter spilled at a party. You think you’ve done your best cleaning up the initial mess and putting everything back in order, but on a random Tuesday two years down the road, you pick up a cushion, and there it is again. Grief is a lifetime experience that changes over time and becomes easier to hold, but especially for women who have lost their mothers, they understand it never goes away. Women who have lost their mothers still usually feel certain emotions almost daily, and while it looks different for everyone, there’s often solace found in realizing other people share similar experiences. Even if the circumstances or relationships were different, the somewhat taboo conversations about grief feel grounding and supportive. They remind you that you’re not alone, even if it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one in the world navigating with the weight of loss on your shoulders. Women who have lost their mothers …

When Someone’s Life Is Falling Apart, They’ll Often Do These 10 Things Before Reaching Their Breaking Point

When Someone’s Life Is Falling Apart, They’ll Often Do These 10 Things Before Reaching Their Breaking Point

Published by Jenni Sidey

There are times in life when it feels like the world is ending and there’s nothing we can do about it. While some people can feel themselves changing into someone they don’t recognize, others might build up to this realization. Because whether it’s a change in sleep patterns or a feeling of hopelessness, when someone’s life is falling apart, they’ll often do these things before reaching their breaking point. For a person on the outside looking in, seeing someone they love go through this is heartbreaking. But when they’re able to recognize certain indicators of a negative change, it’s easier for them to offer support. And for the person going through this difficult time, they can begin to look inward to help themselves start thriving again. When someone’s life is falling apart, they’ll often do these 10 things before reaching their breaking point 1. Not getting enough sleep Gladskikh Tatiana | Shutterstock Sleep is the most important thing for our bodies, and it’s recommended we get between 7-9 hours of it each night, so it …

Scientists are rethinking what loneliness does to the body

Scientists are rethinking what loneliness does to the body

Published by Jenni Sidey

Two people can sit at the same dinner table, share the same number of conversations in a week, and still leave with entirely different feelings about their social lives. One feels connected. The other feels alone. That gap, subtle and easy to miss, may carry real consequences. Researchers at Cornell University have been examining what happens when a person’s social reality does not match their emotional experience. Their work, spread across two recent studies, suggests that loneliness is not just about being alone. It is also about how the mind interprets social contact, and that interpretation may shape long-term health in ways that standard measures fail to capture. A Mismatch that Tracks with Disease The first study followed 7,845 adults in England, all over the age of 50. Researchers tracked them for an average of 13.6 years, looking at both their social lives and their health outcomes. They were not just counting friendships or measuring how often people met others. Instead, they introduced a concept called social asymmetry. It describes the gap between objective social …

Anthropic Says That Claude Contains Its Own Kind of Emotions

Anthropic Says That Claude Contains Its Own Kind of Emotions

Published by skeptic

Claude has been through a lot lately—a public fallout with the Pentagon, leaked source code—so it makes sense that it would be feeling a little blue. Except, it’s an AI model, so it can’t feel. Right? Well, sort of. A new study from Anthropic suggests models have digital representations of human emotions like happiness, sadness, joy, and fear, within clusters of artificial neurons—and these representations activate in response to different cues. Researchers at the company probed the inner workings of Claude Sonnet 3.5 and found that so-called “functional emotions” seem to affect Claude’s behavior, altering the model’s outputs and actions. Anthropic’s findings may help ordinary users make sense of how chatbots actually work. When Claude says it is happy to see you, for example, a state inside the model that corresponds to “happiness” may be activated. And Claude may then be a little more inclined to say something cheery or put extra effort into vibe coding. “What was surprising to us was the degree to which Claude’s behavior is routing through the model’s representations of …

Leaders Should Stop Suppressing and Start Signaling Emotions

Leaders Should Stop Suppressing and Start Signaling Emotions

Published by Jenni Sidey

The strong, silent, stoic leader who suppresses their emotions may have ruled the Industrial Age; however, today’s workforce demands something different. In a recent workshop, our conversation turned to the need for emotional control and the invisible work that comes from regulation. Leaders must regulate their emotions in real time. To read the room. To absorb tension. To respond thoughtfully rather than react instinctively. To carry anxiety without transferring it. To model calm, even when clarity is absent. This work is rarely named, rarely taught explicitly, and almost never acknowledged. Yet it is foundational to how trust, presence, and effectiveness are achieved. As the workshop unfolded, the idea surfaced that emotional restraint does not mean emotional suppression. Emotional Intelligence Is Not Emotional Suppression Building on Daniel Goleman’s foundational work, emotional intelligence (EI) is typically defined by four quadrants: self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, and relationship management. While these may seem like all social skills, recent neurological research showcases that they are high-caliber cognitive functions. So, when leaders manage their emotions, the brain is performing complex internal …

Brain scans reveal how poor sleep fuels negative emotions in alcohol addiction

Brain scans reveal how poor sleep fuels negative emotions in alcohol addiction

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence suggests that poor sleep in people with alcohol use disorder is closely linked to heightened negative emotions and specific changes in brain activity. The findings indicate that treating sleep problems might be a practical way to help improve mood and emotional regulation for those recovering from alcohol addiction. Addiction is often viewed as a three-stage cycle consisting of binge drinking, experiencing negative emotions during withdrawal, and a preoccupation or craving for the substance. Previous research indicates that sleep issues can alter mood and reward processing in the general population. “Sleep problems in alcohol use disorder are extremely common. Prior work has found relationships between sleep disturbance and deficits in processes related to reward, negative emotional processing, and executive function, that are impacted in addictive disorders like alcohol use disorder,” said study author Erica Grodin, an adjunct assistant professor at UCLA and member of the UCLA Addictions Lab. “However, these relationships had not been previously systematically examined in people with alcohol use disorder and the …

AI can generate images that are just as effective at triggering human emotions as traditional photographs

AI can generate images that are just as effective at triggering human emotions as traditional photographs

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study provides evidence that artificial intelligence can successfully generate customized images designed to trigger specific human emotions. The findings suggest that these computer-generated pictures work just as well as traditional photographs, while offering the added benefit of being adaptable to different cultures, ages, and genders. The research was published in the journal Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. Generative AI refers to computer systems that can create new content, such as text or pictures, based on simple written instructions. Scientists often use collections of photographs to study human emotions, a process known as affect induction. By showing participants specific images, researchers can reliably trigger feelings like fear, joy, or disgust in a laboratory setting. This allows scientists to study how emotions influence human behavior and decision making. However, older image collections have started to show their age. Many traditional photographs suffer from low resolution or feature outdated fashion styles that might distract participants from the intended emotion. Existing image databases also tend to lack cultural diversity. Most traditional photos feature Western …

Emotions Are Facts: Why Therapy Requires Talking About Them

Emotions Are Facts: Why Therapy Requires Talking About Them

Published by Jenni Sidey

If there is one thing decades of practicing therapy have taught me, it is this: Talking about emotions in therapy is not optional. Yet people often try to convince themselves that it should be. I frequently meet individuals who say they want therapy to help them change their lives, but they also insist that they would rather not talk about their emotions. Sometimes this expectation comes from their own assumptions, and sometimes it comes from things they have read or heard about therapy. I have even seen therapists online suggest that if a therapist asks a client to discuss emotions, the therapist is failing to respect the client’s perspective. That claim sounds compassionate. It is also misleading. Psychotherapy involves talking about emotional responses as well as thoughts and experiences. That is not a matter of a therapist imposing their viewpoint. It is simply part of what the process is. Saying you want therapy but do not want to talk about emotions is a bit like going to a medical doctor and saying, “I want help, …