Emotionality
Emotionality is the observable behavioral and physiological component of emotion, and is a measure of a person's emotional reactivity to a stimulus. Most of these responses can be observed by other people, while some emotional responses can only be observed by the person experiencing them. Observable responses to emotion (i.e., smiling) do not have a single meaning. A smile can be used to express happiness or anxiety, a frown can communicate sadness or anger, and so on. Emotionality is often used by psychology researchers to operationalize emotion in research studies.
Examples
Facial expressions
- Smile
- Frown
- Creased forehead
- Raised eyebrows
- Wide eyes
Smile
Frown
Creased forehead
Raised eyebrows
Wide eyes
Physiological responses
muscle tension
elevated heart rate
sweating
nausea
shaking
gastrointestinal distress
Observable behavior
- averted gaze
- avoidance
- excitement
- fidgeting
- gasping
averted gaze
avoidance
excitement