Question

According to Thomas Lewis, why are behavior, emotions, and sensations contagious and what purpose does it serve

Answer 1

Thomas Lewis explains that behavior, emotions, and sensations are contagious because they are linked to conscious awareness and physiological responses. Emotions serve to maintain homeostasis in the brain and promote behaviors necessary for survival.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Thomas Lewis, behavior, emotions, and sensations are contagious because they are linked to conscious awareness and the physiological responses in our bodies. Emotions serve to maintain homeostasis in the brain through neurotransmitters, which help bring the body back into balance. For example, when we feel hungry, it is a conscious signal that our blood sugar is low and our body needs calories. This promotes behavior that ensures our survival, like eating. Similarly, a rustling sound in the bushes triggers physiological responses corresponding to the feeling of fear, promoting survival behaviors like fight or flight.

Answer 2

Emotions and behaviors are considered contagious in psychology, with emotions serving to maintain homeostasis in the brain, affecting our physiology and behavior. Behavioral contagion can lead to empathy and group cohesion, rooted in evolutionary biology and sociobiology, explaining behavior and emotions in physical and evolutionary terms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Thomas Lewis has not been directly quoted here, but drawing from related psychological research, it can be understood that both behavior and emotions are viewed as contagious due to the interconnected nature of human brains and their empathetic responses. Studies by Damasio (1994) highlight that emotions, through neurotransmitters, serve to maintain homeostasis in the brain, affecting not only our physiology but also driving our behavior and ultimately aiding in survival. This entails a feedback loop where physiological changes lead to conscious emotional experiences, which in turn guide decision-making processes. In relating to why emotions and behaviors are contagious, emotions could be understood through mechanisms like mirror neurons and social learning, where observing another's emotional expression can trigger similar responses in the observer.

Behavior, which is observable, differs from the less tangible processes of the mind. Emotions tie in closely with behavior and physiology, as articulated by Mauss et al. (2005), suggesting a coherence among these aspects. Furthermore, the James-Lange theory posits that emotions follow physiological arousal, a theory that further interlinks emotion with observable responses. In the realm of social interactions, sharing emotional states and behaviors could serve as an adaptation for social coordination, empathy, and group cohesion. This concept relates back to evolutionary biology, and sociobiology, which explain behavior in terms of physical and evolutionary drives.

The discussion around motivation and emotion in psychology considers various theories, and the importance of behavior as a survival mechanism is underscored. The creation of emotional experiences and the replication of behaviors are tied to evolutionary and biological factors, serving the purpose of ensuring the organism's continuation and adaptation within social structures.