Untangling the Web of Emotional Deceit: Measuring Strategic Use of Emotions in Negotiations

Abstract

This paper studies the emotion usage of negotiators, specifically the purposeful management of emotion suppression and expression as a strategic tool for shaping bargaining behavior and subsequent negotiation outcomes. We explore the strategic use of emotions in three ways, expressing truly felt emotions, hiding felt emotions, and feigning unfelt emotions. Using self-report transcript coding methods, we are able to accurately identify when and how negotiators managed emotional expression during the course of the negotiation and how such tactical manipulation of emotions influenced negotiated outcomes. We provide evidence using a simulated negotiation exercise of a monetary benefit to negotiators of using emotional deception as a bargaining tactic.