Final answer:
The question about which emotion is activated by a decreased rate of neural firing is not directly answered by the provided materials, but sadness is typically associated with decreased neural activity compared to emotions linked with sympathetic activation like excitement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The emotion activated by a decreased rate of neural firing is not directly mentioned in the materials provided. However, negative emotions like sadness have been associated with decreased brain activation in certain areas when compared to more active emotional states such as happiness, excitement, or surprise. For example, studies reference by Surguladze et al. (2005) show that in individuals with major depressive disorder, there is a different neural response to sad versus happy facial expressions, indicating that sad affect may be linked to altered patterns of neural activity. Meanwhile, sympathetic activation, which is associated with emotions like excitement, leads to responses such as pupil dilation and increased heart rate, as indicated by the list of associated reactions.