Exercises: The Emotion Engine
Difficulty Guide: - ⭐ Foundational (5-10 min each) - ⭐⭐ Intermediate (10-20 min each) - ⭐⭐⭐ Challenging (20-40 min each) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Advanced/Research (40+ min each)
Part A: Conceptual Understanding ⭐
A.1. Explain the affect heuristic. Why does it mean that the emotional signal of your video reaches the viewer's decision-making system before the informational signal?
A.2. What is the difference between valence and arousal? Give an example of an emotion that is (a) high valence, high arousal, (b) negative valence, high arousal, (c) positive valence, low arousal, and (d) negative valence, low arousal.
A.3. According to the Berger and Milkman research, which matters more for sharing — whether an emotion is positive/negative, or whether it's high/low arousal? Explain why.
A.4. Describe the three-step process of emotional contagion (mimicry → afferent feedback → contagion). Why does this work through screens?
A.5. What is prediction error, and how does it relate to dopamine? Why does surprise capture attention so effectively?
A.6. Explain why DJ experienced the "surprise escalation problem." What solution does the chapter propose?
A.7. Compare nostalgia, awe, and elevation. For each, describe: (a) what triggers it, (b) what behavioral urge it creates, and (c) what kind of creator it's most useful for.
Part B: Applied Analysis ⭐⭐
B.1. Scroll through your TikTok or Instagram Reels feed for 5 minutes. For each video you watch for more than 10 seconds, identify: - The primary emotion it triggered - Whether it was high-arousal or low-arousal - Whether you shared, saved, or commented Compile your data and test the chapter's hypothesis: did high-arousal content get more engagement from you?
B.2. Choose a video that made you feel something strongly (any emotion). Create an emotional map — a timeline showing the intended emotion at each section of the video. Identify the emotional arc pattern (Ramp, Roller Coaster, Twist, Loop, or Peak).
B.3. Find two videos about the same topic — one that's emotionally engaging and one that's emotionally flat. Analyze the difference: - What emotional techniques does the engaging video use that the flat one doesn't? - Where are the "dead zones" in the flat video? - What specific changes would you make to the flat video's emotional design?
B.4. Watch a video from a creator you follow regularly. Now watch a video from a creator you followed but stopped watching. For each: - What emotion do you associate with the creator? - Was the emotion consistent across their content? - Does the chapter's claim about "emotional consistency builds trust" match your experience?
B.5. Analyze DJ's situation from Section 4.4. He gets high engagement from surprise-heavy content but feels the need to escalate. Design an alternative content strategy for DJ that maintains surprise as a key element but uses variety of surprise types to prevent escalation. Specify at least four videos using different surprise flavors.
Part C: Real-World Application Challenges ⭐⭐-⭐⭐⭐
C.1. The Emotional Map ⭐⭐ Plan a 60-second video on any topic. Before scripting or filming, create a complete emotional map: - Target destination emotion - Emotional arc pattern (choose from the five) - Second-by-second emotion targets - Transition types between emotional states - Identified dead zones and how you'll fill them
C.2. The Contagion Test ⭐⭐⭐ Film yourself talking about a topic in two versions: - Version A: You're genuinely interested/excited - Version B: You're performing interest/excitement that you don't actually feel Show both to 3-5 people and ask them to rate how engaged they felt watching each (1-10). Document whether viewers detect the difference, and by how much. This tests the emotional contagion claim.
C.3. The Surprise Variety Pack ⭐⭐⭐ Create (or plan) four short videos on the same topic, each using a different type of surprise: - Video 1: Informational surprise ("I didn't know that") - Video 2: Visual surprise ("I didn't see that coming") - Video 3: Narrative surprise ("I didn't expect the story to go there") - Video 4: Emotional surprise ("I didn't expect to feel this way") Compare: which is easiest to create? Which do you predict would perform best? Why?
Part D: Synthesis & Critical Thinking ⭐⭐⭐
D.1. The chapter argues that "the most dangerous state for your video isn't negative emotion — it's no emotion at all." But some content (tutorials, factual information, neutral news) seems to succeed without strong emotion. Does this contradict the chapter's thesis, or is emotion present in these formats in subtler ways? Analyze.
D.2. High-arousal negative emotions (anger, outrage) drive high sharing. Platforms therefore benefit financially from promoting outrage-inducing content. Should platforms algorithmically de-prioritize high-arousal negative content, even though users engage with it? Construct arguments for both sides.
D.3. The chapter presents emotional contagion as a tool for creators. But it also means that viewers are being emotionally influenced without their conscious consent. Is this ethically different from a movie trying to make you cry or a comedian trying to make you laugh? Where, if anywhere, is the ethical line?
D.4. Apply the concept of "emotional arc" to a non-video context: a school presentation, a college application essay, or a conversation where you're asking for something. How would you emotionally map a 5-minute presentation to maximize impact? What arc pattern would you use?
Part E: Research & Extension ⭐⭐⭐⭐
E.1. Find the original Berger and Milkman (2012) study on emotional virality. Read the abstract and key findings. What specific emotions did they test? Were there any nuances in their findings that the chapter simplified or omitted?
E.2. Research the Facebook emotional contagion study (Kramer, Guillory, & Hancock, 2014). What were the specific ethical concerns raised? How did the scientific community and the public respond? What does this study reveal about the power and responsibility of emotional design at scale?
Solutions
Selected solutions available in appendices/answers-to-selected.md