• Question: how do our emotions work? why do somedays we take things much more seriously than other days?

    Asked by Flori to Angela, Claire, Ian, Robert, Sarah on 19 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by coca cola :-).
    • Photo: Sarah Harris

      Sarah Harris answered on 19 Nov 2014:

      The study of emotions is covered by many different scientists – from psychologists to physiologists, so I can only offer a limited perspective from my branch of science.

      What we feel is due to the levels of different hormones and chemicals in the brain, which can change for a variety of different reasons. For example if you’re feeling scared it’s because you’ve sensed something that could be a danger, causing a rise in adrenaline and increased heart rate (hence why your heart speeds up when you’re scared). So the reason you might take things more seriously on one day than on others could be due to any number of factors affecting the level of chemicals in your brain.

    • Photo: Angela Stokes

      Angela Stokes answered on 19 Nov 2014:

      Yes – Sarah is right. The other thing that affects how you take things is your own personal mood on the day, and I have heard that the weather affects your emotions too – apparently we cry less on warm sunny days! i think a psychologist would be abl;e to give a better answer…or perhaps this is something you would like to pursue?

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