Emotions and the Brain

Catalog description

Prerequisites: PSYCH 2211 and six additional hours of psychology; or consent of instructor. Emotions play an important role in everyday life. But what exactly is an emotion? And what happens in your body when you experience an emotion? More specifically, what happens in your brain? Doesn't the limbic system have something to do with emotions? What are the differences and similarities between emotions (such as anger) and motivations (such as hunger)? What happens in your body and brain when you fall in love? And how do emotions influence cognition, such as attention and memory? Conversely, does cognition influence our emotions as well? These are some of the questions that we will answer in this course. Given that many mental disorders involve emotional disturbances, this course is not only relevant for students who are interested in the fundamental knowledge of emotions, but also for students who are interested in clinical psychology.