pkb contents > productivity | just under 239 words | updated 01/14/2018
See Norman's model of interaction
"Emotion interacts with cognition biochemically, bathing the brain with hormones ...in tense, threatening situations, the emotional system triggers the release of hormones that bias the brain to focus upon relevant parts of the environment. The muscles tense in preparation for action. In calm, nonthreatening situations, the emotional system triggers the release of hormones that relax the mucles and bias the brain toward exploration and creativity. Now the brain is more apt to notice changes in the environment, to be distracted by events, and to piece together events and knowledge that might have seemed unrelated earlier ... A brain in a negative emotional state provides focus: precisely what is needed to maintain attention on a task and finish it ... Both the positive, relaxed state and the anvious, negative, and tense state are valuable and powerful tools for human creativity and action. The extremes of both states, however, can be dangerous" (Norman, 2013, pp. 48-49).
See also:
Norman, D. (2013). The design of everyday things (revised and expanded edition). New York City, NY: Basic Books.