Dimorphous emotions Why do we cry with joy and laugh when we are nervous?

Dimorphic expression of emotion is a term coined by researcher Oriana Aragón in her study for Yale University. This, refers to the occasions when we express ourselves contradictory to certain intense emotional experiences. For example, him laugh when we are nervous or cry when we feel very happy They are manifestations that do not accurately communicate what we feel.

Dimorphous expressions are aim. Therefore, it is advisable to have a wide range of emotional self -management skills in order to reduce this type of response.

Content

• Dimorphous expressions of emotion
• Studies on dimorphic emotional expressions
• How to regulate when emotions overflow us?
  • References

Dimorphous expressions of emotion

Emotions are adaptive physiological responses to different stimuli that allow the individual to adjust to the environment. In general, There are pre -established responses that indicate that someone is experiencing a specific emotion. For example, the smile will indicate that someone feels very happy, or an uncontrollable crying makes us think of sadness. However, sometimes, we tend to show contradictory expressions regarding our feelings.

Before nerves and surprise, certain people laugh out loud; Happiness or fear can generate tears, although crying is supposed to be exclusive to sadness. So, This type of reactions that, apparently, do not correlate with the emotion we experience, are called dimorphic expressions of emotion.

It is important to know that dimorphic manifestations are intended to counteract the intense emotion we are feeling. That is to say, When the organism is too startled by a stimulus, a balance tends to be generated so that we can think and act reasonably.

Studies on dimorphic emotional expressions

Dimorphous emotional expressions begin to be studied thanks to the investigation of Oriana Aragón entitled demonstrations of both care and aggression in response to tender stimuli ”. In his experiment, he showed a group of participants photographs of tender animals, animals in funny situations and neutral animals, which did not represent any emotion. When he showed the slides, he provided the plastic participants with bubbles and asked them to squeeze and exploit all the bubbles they would like.

The results imply that, When highly tender stimuli occur, individuals have a greater tendency to explode bubbles. Here, the author states that very intense emotional experiences can generate dimorphic expressions, whose function would be to regulate the emotion.

From this study, a new term began to coined: Cute-Agression, specifically used to describe the experience of wanting to respond with aggression against tender stimuli. Among them, is the need to pinch the cheeks of a young child or hug the pet strongly. So, The vision of something nice generates an aggression response instead of care, so it would be a dimorphic expression. However, this does not mean that the person really wants.

On the other hand, Stendhal syndrome is another exemplification of dimorphic emotional expressions. Such a condition occurs when people witness stimuli of incredible beauty. But, Far from being delighted, they experience great discomfort and symptoms such as dissociation, hallucinations, anxiety and depressive feelings. It is common for these people to be confused and disoriented, as well as the presence of sweating and tachycardia.

This syndrome has very frequently presented from the city of Florence, where a large amount of works of art of great beauty is concentrated. In general, it happens more regularly to travelers who come from quiet cities, little accustomed to living intense emotions.

How to regulate when emotions overflow us?

As already mentioned, dimorphic expressions appear as a ventilation mechanism, when intense emotional experiences are presented. Therefore, The fact that a person expresses himself in a dimorphly. Therefore, to reduce this type of manifestations, it is necessary to have adequate strategies to handle our emotions.

Self -regulation is the ability to modulate the emotional responses and feelings we experience in the face of external stimuli. This ability begins to develop from the early childhood thanks to experiences of inhibition of impulses and tolerance to frustration.

Finally, Emotional self -regulation would include being able to recognize their own emotions, know how to handle and face them assertively. To do this, it is necessary to properly value life situations such as perseverance, enjoy learning and power overcome defeats. Also, empathy, putting on the place of others and generating healthy social ties is indicative of emotional intelligence. In conclusion, being efficient at the emotional level will allow us to experience less degree of contradictory responses, improving our link with ourselves and others.

How to recognize your emotions: a feeling test that will help you understand your reactions

References

• Aragon, or., Clark, m. Bargh, j. (2015). Dimorphous Expressions of Positive Emotion: Disples of By Care and Aggressive in Response to Cute Stimuli. Association for Psychological Science. Extracted from: https: // doi.org/10.1177/0956797614561044
• Arnold, c. (2013). Cuteness Inspirate Aggression. SA MIND 24, 3, 18. Extracted from: https: // www.Scientific American.com/article/cuteness-inspires-agggresion/
• Magherini, g. Stendhal syndrome. Ed. ESPASA CALPE; MADRID, 1990
• Orozco, d. Equipment plan to promote emotional self -regulation skills in your students. CES University, Medellín. Extracted from: https: // repository.CES.Edu.CO/BITSTREAM/HANDLE/10946/5814/IN%20SUS%20MARCAS%20LISTOS.PDF?sequence = 1 & isallowed = y
• Villalba, m. (2016). Self -regulation of our emotions. End of Degree in Early Childhood Education. University of Segovia.