Reaction of Boston Cop Illustrates Actual Science of Emotion

Behavioral science — or, at least the branch of it which one is able to condense into four minutes for the benefit of NPR — suggests that there are a number of likely reasons why a Boston fan might cheer wildly in response to David Ortiz’s grand slam from Sunday night.

Behavioral science — in this case, the sort which requires a full 28 minutes of NPR’s time — also posits that humans are programmed, basically, to feel empathy for those other humans who are in closest proximity to them.

Boston police officer Steve Horgan, half-famous already for his part in Ortiz’s game-tying effort, represents an interesting case study, as the two emotional forces noted above vie for control of his person in the footage here — first prompting him to celebrate with arms held high, and then compelling him to direct his attention to the very possibly injured Torii Hunter now lying prone at his feet.

That we are mere pawns to our own bodily chemistry, is mostly the point of this post.