Ever feel perked up after hanging out with a friend who's positively glowing with happiness? Or ever feel in the bluesy when your partner is mildly depressed? There's a name for that: emotional contagion.
Love is one of the most profound emotions known to human beings. For some, romantic relationships are the most meaningful element in their lives, providing a source of fulfillment outside of ourselves.
Quite simply, cognition refers to thinking. There are the obvious applications of conscious reasoning—doing taxes, playing chess, deconstructing Macbeth—but thought takes many subtler forms, such as interpreting sensory input, guiding physical actions, and empathizing with others.