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Hypothalamus-Pituitary Theory

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1. The researcher Paul Ekman maintains that there are six basic human emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. In the tradition of evolutionary theory, each of these should provide a survival value (they should be adaptive). Explain the survival value of each emotion and give examples of how it might help today’s people survive. Happiness shows basic evolutionary needs are being satisfied (Heylighen, Joslyn & Turchin, 2001). Happiness, today, improves living due to a brightened mood, can improve social relationships and attachments, and also enhance our way of thinking. Sadness can be affiliated with the emotional result of a loss of relationship, separation, or death (as mentioned in our textbook, p. 55) It allows …show more content…

Stress and emotion have shown that their effects stem through the same bodily systems including the brain (limbic system), the autonomic nervous system, and hormones which today can be seen as the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal system (HPA) (as mentioned in module 2). When in a, or following a stressful event, such as being fired, person K can begin to exhibit changes within his/her body. The activation of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal system during the stressful event activates the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, which sends electrochemical signals to the anterior pituitary, which produces adreno-corticotropic hormone (ACTH). This hormone stimulates the adrenal glands to have a final result of releasing the stress-related hormone cortisol into the bloodstream (as mentioned in our textbook, p.124). Cortisol activates glucose production needed for metabolically demanding action by suppressing his/her immune system, increasing heart rate and blood pressure thus distributing blood to appropriate muscle groups involved in the fight-or-flight behaviour (as mentioned in our textbook, 124). Along with the activation of the HPA, the sympathetic nervous system reacts to stress by increasing heart rate, blood pressure and cardiac output, producing vasoconstriction in most veins and arteries and shutting down the digestive processes (as mentioned in our textbook, p.116). This system provided our ancestors and today’s individuals to respond to threats for physical survival. To overcome the stress related bodily changes, person K could adopt James’s idea of deeper patterns of breathing which can engage the vagus nerve quieting the stress-related physiology to provide greater calm and positive emotion (as mentioned in our textbook,

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