This might create a noisy signal a bit like a badly tuned radio that prevents emotional cross-talk, she thinks. When surgeons cut the dense connections between the two hemispheres, patients become emotionally mute and unable to express their feelings Credit: Science Photo Library.
Today, it seems clear that there may be many types of alexithymia. While some might have trouble expressing emotions, others like Caleb might not even be conscious of the feelings in the first place. In the same way, a damaged neural circuit involved in emotional processing might prevent sadness , happiness or anger from bursting into consciousness. Along these lines, a few recent fMRI scanning studies have found signs of a more basic perceptual problem in some types of alexithymia.
Goerlich-Dobre, for instance, found reduced grey matter in areas of the cingulate cortex serving self-awareness , potentially blocking a conscious representation of the emotions. For instance, one day at school he was working with the student theatre.
Eventually, his boss lost his cool and started ripping into him. It seems that almost no event can penetrate that indifference. In reality I end up having a clearer head — I become more analytical. Contrary to the stereotype, autistic people do not all suffer emotional or social difficulties Credit: Science Photo Library. It is a small pay-off, however: alexithymia seems to be linked to various other illnesses, including schizophrenia and eating disorders, perhaps because emotions normally guide us to take better care of our physical and mental health.
Better defining alexithymia could therefore offer insights into these disorders. It could also give us a more nuanced understanding of autism. Despite the stereotypes, Geoffrey Bird at Kings College London points out that around half of autistic people are perfectly capable of perceiving and responding to others, and those with social problems tend to also be suffering from alexithymia.
For this reason, he thinks that distinguishing the two, distinct, disorders could therefore lead to better guidance. At the moment, misunderstandings can often stand in the way of some autistic people getting the help they need. Normally, he says, the conscious perception of emotions can help damp down the physical sensations associated with the feeling. Without the emotional outlet, however, the mind could get stuck on the physical feelings, potentially amplifying the responses.
People with alexithymia often travel a lonely road as they try to connect to their emotions Credit: Getty Images. Sometimes our feelings can be confusing, and it can take effort to understand them. One reason for this is that the same type of emotion can sometimes feel different in different situations. For example, feeling afraid to give a speech in front of your class can feel different than feeling afraid of a lion.
Another reason that feelings can be confusing is that different types of emotions can sometimes feel similar. For example, both anger and fear can make you shaky and make your heart beat faster. So when you notice you are having an emotional reaction, you still have to figure out which emotion it is [ 3 ]. For example, you might notice that your heart is racing, that there is a lion in front of you, and that you have a strong desire to run away.
Scientists have found that some people find it more difficult than others to figure out what emotion they are feeling. People who have trouble understanding their emotions also have more trouble making themselves feel better. It is important to pay attention to your emotions and to practice figuring out what you are feeling.
This will help you to solve problems and to feel better faster when you are feeling bad. One good reason to understand emotions is that it can help you figure out the best way to respond to them. To figure out how to respond, it is important to first decide if your emotions match the current situation. Emotional reactions can be helpful when they happen in the right situations. For example, if you feel scared of a snake, your emotion of fear will help you stay away from snakes and avoid getting bitten.
Or, if you get angry when someone does something mean to you, your anger can let that person know not to be mean anymore. Or, if your family and friends notice that you are sad after a friend moves away, your sadness can help them see that you need their love and support. However, sometimes these same emotions can be unhelpful if they happen in the wrong situations.
For example, if you get angry with a friend because he hurt you by accident, then this might just make your friendship worse. Or, if you are so scared of taking a test that you stay home from school, then this might stop you from getting a good grade in that class. Or, if you are sad for too long after a friend moves away, then this might make it harder for you to make new friends. If an emotion is helpful, you can listen to what it is telling you to do.
But what should you do if an emotion is unhelpful? Scientists have found that there are some good skills you can practice, which can help you deal with unhelpful emotions. For example, if you are scared to go to school to take a test, then you could try to find another way to think about the test that is less scary.
To understand how this works, first remember that, when people are scared of something, they usually want to do everything they can to avoid it. For example, you might not want to go to school because you are scared of giving a class presentation.
The problem is that when you avoid situations like this situations that are not actually dangerous , then you can never learn not to be scared of them anymore. Scientists have found that approaching your fears this means doing what you are scared of is one of the best ways to make your fears go away.
If you are feeling angry or sad, other things that can help are exercise and activity. For example, when people are angry, they usually want to yell or say mean things. So you should listen to your emotions obvious and subtle, as they are essential in situations where the correct decision requires more than just rational thought.
Griffiths, University of Chicago Press. The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Charles Darwin, Oxford University Press. We invite you to discuss this subject, but remember this is a public forum.
Please be polite, and avoid your passions turning into contempt for others. We may delete posts that are rude or aggressive, or edit posts containing contact details or links to other websites. If you enjoyed this, why not follow a feed to find out when we have new things like it? Choose an RSS feed from the list below. Don't know what to do with RSS feeds? Remember, you can also make your own, personal feed by combining tags from around OpenLearn. For further information, take a look at our frequently asked questions which may give you the support you need.
Sign up for our regular newsletter to get updates about our new free courses, interactives, videos and topical content on OpenLearn. Newsletter sign-up. OpenLearn works with other organisations by providing free courses and resources that support our mission of opening up educational opportunities to more people in more places.
All rights reserved.
0コメント