Piper, to really understand how emotions effect us constantly, you
need to understand how brains evolved in various species.

At the bottom you have the brain stem. That controls things like
breathing etc. Then you have the so called limbic system, which they
call the emotional centre. Above that you have the neocortex or
thinking bits.

Emotions are kind of our natural, innate instincts to act, for whatever life
throws at us. You feel angry, your adreneline starts
to pump, blood flows to your hands, ready to throw that punch.
You feel fear, blood drains from your face, goes to the muscles in
the legs, ready to run. But at any time you feel something, even
if at a very low level. You feel happy, sad, love, anxious, suprised, etc.

If you see say a snake, you react before you spend alot of time
thinking that you have seen a snake.

Its a really interesting topic, but hard to explain it all in a few
words. To explain more about how emotions affect our every thought
and action, there is a great book out, published in 1995 by
Daniel Goleman, called "Emotional Intelligence- why it matters more
then IQ". He's written some others on the topic since, but that's
the one that explains the basics in a way that is easy to understand.
He also devotes a fair bit in how to teach kids to think about their
feelings, so that they think before they throw that first punch etc.

Goleman quotes the latest science of the time, he used to teach
at Harvard and was editor of "Psychology Today" So you are not
reading some crap, but well informed science, written in an easy
to understand way.

My nephew picked it up from one of my bookshelves, went out and
bought his own copy and it gave him a whole new understanding of
himself, his friends and his relationships with them.

Its available even second hand, for just a few bucks from companies
like Amazon, so especially if you are involved with kids, its stuff
really worth knowing.

The Pied Piper
I will write about it my friend, be sure, I hope tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow morning I have to go very early in the market and I started to write IN A VERY IMPORTANT, MISUNDERSTOOND AND CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE NUCLEAR ENERGY AND BE SURE I will have to fight against most if not against all forum members. Always I need your understanding.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

How the Human Brain Developed and How the Human Mind Works
It is apparently easier for people who are 'cold and calculating' to be dominant, to dominate those who are 'emotional'.

Add that those dominating others may in this way acquire power over others, or social and economic gains from using, and from misusing, people.

Such a system rewards primitive inhuman brutal (beastlike) behaviour (acquiring territory by force, might is right), held in check only by the fear of consequences.

We also see that dominating others is conditioned, that is unnatural, behaviour which is destructive of humane behaviour. A throw-back to the level of the unthinking unfeeling primitive animal.

Humane behaviour is based on feelings of care and affection for the young and for the family, and then for other people and the community. From this emerges a sense of social responsibility: people matter and are important, need to be treated well and looked after, are entitled to share equally. Backed up by knowledge, understanding and reason.
http://www.solhaam.org/articles/humind.html

As usual Yabby is telling half the story. he is right that it is near as impossible to define the process in 350 words.

I would point out to you that the science has moved along way in 14 years. in most sciences 14 years is an eternity.

While he is essentially right in the mechanism he doesn't make it clear that the balance between the elements isn't as clear cut as presented.
There are a myriad of individual variations on a theme and that's without physical anomalies. In essence Yabby for his own ends or through misunderstanding, is over simplifying/stating the power of the mechanism.

He also ignores the ability of individuals to over rule the limbic system, either by effort or training/conditioning. It is possible to condition sub conscious motor responses which further complicate and throws real doubt on the definitive emphasis he presents.

Yabby stresses the importance of 'emotional intelligence' over IQ . That is again a fundamental miss-understanding of the process it isn't a simple as a competition between the two.
The following equation is not a valid explanation.

Hormones and several other chemical inputs + genetic propensity = limbic response = actions.

any more than bricks plus concrete = empire state building.

Gives insight? perhaps, interesting yes, at least we agree on that.
Justify or solely explain an individuals behaviour..... not with current knowledge.

Research investigates limited issues under certain conditions. There is a huge difference what can be deduced from research and what has practical value in psychiatry.
Yabby is trying to extrapolate too much from provable scientific observations

Examinator:"Yabby is trying to extrapolate too much from provable scientific observations"

You mean like "stone age tribes don't condone DV so we should be more like them"? Nice one...

Yabby is pointing out the simple truth that we are chemical factories and everything we feel is the result of chemistry. That's not "extrapolation" it's simply stating the obvious.

As with any sufficiently complex system, there are "emergent" behaviours that are not obvious first-order consequences of the chemistry, which in the case of people includes cerebration and some volitional control of the chemical processes via feedback mechanisms that can be triggered by that cerebration. The same applies to all mammals to a greater or lesser degree, I suspect. Certainly it does to the domestic animals I'm familiar with.

It's fascinating that some people, especially feminist types, are so threatened by such a deterministic view.

I guess when you've pinned your career on a wishy-washy "social engineering" informed by nothing but ideology, it's a bit painful to have to face facts that don't require 4 pages of jargon to "justify".

*our brain is what makes us human and separate us from the animals.*

Ah Antonious, your political writer's summation of the brain, was
not the best. Just to set the record straight, the neocortex is not
specific to humans, many species have them, ours is just a bit larger.
In fact chimps brains and human brains are incredibly similar!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014173548.htm

So they think and feel, love their families too. Get over it
Antonious, the human animal is just another species, with
a larger neocortex.

*As usual Yabby is telling half the story.*

Yup Examinator, I mentioned some basics, then referenced it with
a 350 page book, which contains 29 pages of references. You are
free to do your homework, if you dispute Goleman's science.

Dickie dear, that little rant would have got things off your chest!
I hope that you had a cup of tea and a lie down after that, for at
your age there is the heart to consider :)

Moondoggy, if you think that cohabitation is great, well go for it!
My point was that most 50s plus people would these days not agree
with you, according to the AFR statistics that I mentioned.

Is it wise to risk losing a million bucks in the courts, based on
the changing and commonly irrational emotions of some female?
Well for me it is not, but for those who think it is, that is up
to them.