Nelson Zagalo (and Albertino Gonçalves)

University of Minho, Portugal

9th Conference of the European Sociological Association

2-5 September 2009 - Lisbon
Studies in fields of neuroscience (Damásio, 1994) and
psychology (Frijda, 1986) demonstrated the
importance of emotion for the survival system as an
organism and as a subject.

Survival would be only manageable for humans if we

took into account the human bonding possibility
(Bowlby, 1969), which would be dependent of the
mammalian evolution (Whybrow, 1999).
(McLean, 1967)
Reptilian - responsible for the vital body
functioning (Fear)

Limbic – responsible for "the attachment

structures” (mammalians)

Neocortex - responsible for the execution of high

level actions (language, imagination)
The limbic system is built with a memorizing capacity
of behaviors of pleasure and unpleasure (learning)
(Dubuc, 2002) which generates the continuous
creation of an attachment database for the species.

“What happens when the mammals come along is that they

have a much greater ability to learn, and they live in social
groups. This is totally distinct from the ancient reptile”
(Whybrow, 1999).
To Ekman (1999), basic emotions can be defined by
the universality he found through decades in human
faces along the planet.

To Damásio (1994), are “scripts to act in a predefined

mode when determined characteristics of stimuli are
found in the world or in our bodies”. These emotions
occur almost automatically and unconsciously.

fear, sadness, happiness, disgust, anger, surprise

The six basic emotions relates to universal concerns

“human beings in large measure are moved by the

same basic concerns – concern for our own
physical well-being (tied to fear), concern for
knowing what is going on (tied to surprise or
anxiety), concern for close ties to others (tied to
sadness, shame, love, jealousy), concern for
achieving goals (tied to joy, anger)”
(Planalp, 1999: 20).
the mammalian species
appearance was defined
by the novelty of living
together.

"the union makes us

strong”.
social network diagram neurons 3d representation

social interaction expands neuroconnections, therefore evolution

How then is communication evoked by emotion?
Definitions of sadness

Present its functions

Demonstrate correlation
Frijda (1986) "defines sadness as "the situational meaning structure of
emptiness.. the explicit absence of something valued... (as) loss" (p.199). This
absence should then be framed within "the notion that absence will be forever"
(p.200)

Barr-Zisowitz (2000) defined the distinctions between sadness and: fear, guilt
and anger. Against fear, sadness responds to something already happened, while
fear answer anticipates events. From guilt, sadness shows no responsibility for
what happened. Anger is the response against someone responsible for the
situation, while sadness blames no one.
Following the circumplex model (Russell, 1980), sadness means
a negative non-active experience - Passivity. The opposite polar
from the continua dimension of happiness.
Sadness enhances the attention of
the self focus (Sedikides 2000).
Turning inside, avoids remembrances
of loss.

On the other side, Passivity and

absence of communication, enhances
the call for attention, the call for
comforting (following the principle of
the Impossibility to Not
Communicate from Watzlawick et al.
(1967)).
 Biological
Sadness, as a pre-wired emotion, is responsible for the
survival at birth: no cry, no feed.

 Social
Sadness as a basic emotion, has only one goal, maintain
the bonds and learn what’s bad and good.

 Communication
Crying and becoming too inactive, communicates the
message to the others that something is wrong, and some
change needs to occur.
emotions are the cement holding social interaction
and cohesion.

emotions, albeit being biological defined, have strong

effects upon human communication.

communication is responsible for emotions operation.

communication enhances human evolution.