Since the same neuropeptides found in humans that result in the experiencing of emotions are also found in simple one-celled organisms, it is tempting to conclude that even the simplest of animals also experience emotions when it can be experimentally demonstrated that these neuropeptides do influence their behavior.

Dramatic changes in bodily functions occur during any strong emotion as transmitted through neurochemical pathways. These changes affect the perceptions, thoughts and actions of the person. Emotions activate the autonomic nervous system and change the flow of glandular secretions and neurohumors.²³...Emotional states also affect muscle tension of the face and body as well as the circulatory and respiratory systems.²⁴

A strong case can be made for considering the emotions as an integral part of the perceptual process. It is emotion and its effects upon neurohumors and hormones which cause the meaning of things, or our interpretation of them, to change.²⁵...A person experiencing joy is more likely to perceive the world through "rose-colored glasses," and problems become less of a concern. While in a state of joy, a person is more likely to see beauty and goodness in nature and in fellow human beings. There is also a feeling of strength and vigor as well as increased self-confidence.²⁶

The distressed individual is more likely to see the action of others as being harmful. A person experiencing fear has temporary "tunnel vision" because he or she has focused on the frightening object. Therefore our perception of the world, and thus the memories we store, are heavily influenced by our emotions.²⁷...Individuals perceive in terms of wants, desires, and purposes; and our wants, desires, and purposes are functions of our emotions.²⁸

Some theorists have argued that emotions play a critical role in the development of both self-awareness and self-identity.²⁹...Differential emotion theory states that some emotion is always present in ordinary states of consciousness and is by its very nature a phenomenon of consciousness, constituting one of its basic structures.³⁰...Each discrete emotion has a particular influence upon consciousness. Shame, for example, tends to heighten self-consciousness.³¹

The emotions system is seen as the primary provider of blueprints for cognition, decision, and action. Emotional triggers can be either inborn or learned.³²

Emotional cues foster intuitive knowing. Emotion and cognition may act in harmony or opposition.³³...The importance of cognition in motivation and behavior (via emotion-cognition interaction) can hardly be overestimated. After an emotion has been initiated the cognitive system quickly comes into play, and then the cognitive processes such as memory and imagination may often result in further emotion activation. The emotion and cognitive systems therefore have a reciprocal relationship. The motor and emotional systems interact with each other similarly. For example, fatigue may lower the threshold of negative emotions and relaxation may raise them.³⁴

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