ABSTRACT
Emotions arise in response to changes in our surroundings that could have important consequences. These consequences may be immediate (e.g., being confronted by a mugger) or delayed (e.g., anticipating an examination). Some emotions are short-lived (surprise, humor) and these often arise when there is a discrepancy between what is expected and what actually happens, others are long-lived (e.g., jealousy, hatred). Some emotional responses are hard wired—executed by neural circuits that are genetically specified during development—such as the universal aversive reaction of infants to bitter-tasting (potentially toxic) foods, but most (e.g., love) are probably learnt. Apparently hard-wired responses need not be forever fixed; most adults come to like the bitter foods their culture teaches them is safe (e.g., coffee).
