Depok-Public Relations study program, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (UI) held an inbound lecture entitled PR Today #5: “The Role of Emotions in Information Processing” on April 22, 2022 virtually. PR Today is a series of public lectures, guest lecturer lectures, webinars, and others held by the UI Vocational Public Relations study program to provide education to students and the general public about the world of public relations. This inbound lecture invited Whinda Yustisia, a social psychology expert from the Loyola Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, and was guided by Dr. Devie Rahmawati, lecturer in the UI Vocational Public Relations study program.
Emotions can occur because of a cognitive evaluation process or an assessment of something, both positive and negative. “Emotions can also help individuals to make decisions. However, there are still many people who have not been able to recognize emotions within themselves,” Whinda explained.
(Photo: Whinda divides emotions into three types)
There are three things that are often misunderstood, namely affect, emotion, and mood. All three are different things and have their respective roles in humans. Whinda added, “In every human body, emotions play a role in providing information about what is around us. These emotions are triggered by stimuli and processed by the body, so that they can produce various responses.”
Some of the evidence or cases presented by Whinda related to emotions that affect a person’s cognitive process towards the self-assessment, including health, focus of attention, life satisfaction, consumer judgment, persuasion, public opinion, and political judgment.
(Photo: Whinda explains how emotions play an important role in information processing)
For example, in a case that needs to be focused on, emotions have different roles. “When we are working on a task that requires creativity, we need global or broad thinking. In addition, a pleasant mood is also one of the triggers so that the resulting emotions can be in accordance with what is desired,” said Whinda.
In addition, Whinda also conveyed that one must be able to recognize the importance of mental health. “If you face various kinds of negative emotions or things that can affect your mind, don’t be afraid to seek help, both from the surrounding environment and professionals,” explained Whinda closing the inbound lecture.
