Copyright: 2003
Publisher: Harcourt
ISBN: 0-15-100557-5
Recently I read an article from the Journal of Information Architecture by Brigitte Kaltenbacher regarding the role of emotions in Human Computer Interaction research. She referenced Damasio's book, Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorry and the Feeling Brain and the idea intrigued me. Kaltenbacher's premise is that the human decision making process is highly influenced by emotion and therefore emotions and feelings cannot be ignored by the interaction designer. Antonio Damasio explores the connection between emotions and cognitive processes from a number of angles. He explores the physiology of emotion and feelings, the sociological ramifications of emotions and feelings and the philosophy of emotions and feelings. It is the last of these perspectives that gives rise to the book's title for it is the philosophy of Spinoza that Damasio relies on for this exploration.
Emotions and Feelings
Most of us use these terms interchangeably yet Damasio is insistent that they are fundamentally different. He explains that emotions are actions or movements that are visible to others, they play out in the theater of the body. Feelings on the other hand are hidden and unseen by others, they play out in the theater of the mind.
In driving home this distinction, Damasio delves quite deep into the physiology of exactly how emotions are useful to and used by the body. By deconstructing the human body's reaction to various stimuli, he creates a roots up view of the body. At the bottom level of course we have metabolic regulation, basic reflexes and immune responses. These are reactions to stimuli that we not only don't control but rarely even pay attention to.
The next level up is pain and pleasure along with behaviors. These are typically reponses to large aggregates of stimuli at the lower levels. For instance, if your immune responses are operating full-tilt at the cellular level, you are likely to experience a whole body feeling of pain or discomfort.
Next up in the tree comes drives and motivations. Here we find hunger, thirst, curiosity etc. These are not just behaviors but behavioral states of the entire organism. As the lower stimuli of metabolic regulation reports lowering levels of glucose, the next level will report the discomfort. This discomfort will become the motivation of hunger that will drive the organism as a whole towards behaviors consistent with self-preservation.
Finally we come to the level of emotions. Joy, sorrow, fear, pride and sympathy live here. These are overall states of the body that encompass all the lower levels. Damasio maintains that emotions at this level however are still a physical state and are only mental in that they affect the brain in a physical fashion.
Only after emotions have come into play do we have feelings. Feelings are a state of mind. Damasio spends quite a bit of time in his book exploring the philosophical side of such questions as "can the mind exist without the brain and can the brain exist without the mind?" From a practical standpoint however it is important to note that feelings are a mental state whereas emotions are a physical state.
A quick example that might help explain Damasio's distinction between feelings and emotions is the difference between an appetite and a desire. He points out (as does Spinoza in a much earlier work) that appetite describes a "behavioral state of an organism engaged by a particular drive." Desire on the other hand is the "conscious feeling of having an appetite and the eventual consummation or thwarting of the appetite."
Three Types of Emotions
Damasio explores three different types of emotions:
- Background emotions: i.e. "I feel good today!"
- Primary emotions: i.e. anger and fear
- Social emotions: i.e. compassion and sympathy
In chapter 4 of the book, Damasio explores the role of social emotions in helping humans create and embrace cooperative strategies for surviving and thriving. The chapter is somewhat tedious for someone like me, primarily interested in the cognitive behavior of the individual, however anyone interested in sociological phenomena should definitely enjoy this chapter!
The Two Paths
At the heart of the book lies the interaction between emotions and decision making. While at times Damasio tends to get in way over my head with the biology of the brain, he does a phenomenal job of explaining this interaction.
"Normal decision-making uses two complementary paths. Confronted with a situation that requires a response, path A prompts images related to the situation, the options for action, and the anticipation of future outcomes. Reasoning strategies can operate on that knowledge to produce a decision. Path B operates in parallel and prompts activation of prior emotional experiences in comparable situations. In turn, the recall of the emotionally related material, be it covert or overt, influences the decision-making process by forcing attention on the representation of future outcomes or interfering with reasoning strategies. On occassion, path B can lead to a decision directly, as when a gut feeling impels an immediate response. The degree to which each path is used alone or in combination depends on a person's individual development, the nature of the situation, and the circumstances."
Some very intriguing material acccompanies this section of the book as Damasio details the experiences of patients who have had the emotional context (Path B) removed due to some level of brain damage. These people are fully capable of reasoning out a good decision in a laboratory session however when faced with the same decision in real-life they are often incapable of finding a good solution. The usefulness of the emotions in decision making, particularly in day-to-day life should not be underestimated.
Quote of the Book
"Happiness is the power to be free of the tyranny of negative emotions. Happines is not a reward for virtue: it is virtue itself."
Conclusion
This book served the purpose of expanding my understanding of the role of emotions in decision making. My curiosity has been aroused and I will likely continue to look for useful information in this field, particularly as it relates to human computer interaction. Beyond that, the book would be a good read for anyone with a general interest in psychology, particularly if you have a bent for philosophy. A great portion of the book deals with the philosophy of Spinoza, a fascinating character in and of himself.