Effects Of Positive Emotions Research Articles

The Effect of Emotions on Translations Performance

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of emotions and some personality traits on translation performance. It builds on Rojo and Ramos’s (2016) findings and is broadly based on their methodology, but introduces some methodological changes. It replicates their experiment with translation students in another language pair (English L2>Macedonian L1) following their three step procedure: resiliency test, translation-bogus feedback-translation, self-reporting questionnaire. Following their recommendations (ibid.), the change in methodology involves using comparatively easier translation tasks. The paper aims to provide answers as to: the effect of positive and negative emotions on overall translation performance; the effect of positive and negative emotions on different aspects of translation performance (accuracy vs. creativity) and the role of the personality trait of resilience in regulating negative emotions.

Happy Enough to Relax? How Positive and Negative Emotions Activate Different Muscular Regions in the Back - an Explorative Study.

Embodiment theories have proposed a reciprocal relationship between emotional state and bodily reactions. Besides large body postures, recent studies have found emotions to affect rather subtle bodily expressions, such as slumped or upright sitting posture. This study investigated back muscle activity as an indication of an effect of positive and negative emotions on the sitting position. The electromyography (EMG) activity of six back muscles was recorded in 31 healthy subjects during exposure to positive and negative affective pictures. A resting period was used as a control condition. Increased muscle activity patterns in the back were found during the exposure to negative emotional stimuli, which was mainly measured in the lumbar and thorax regions. The positive emotion condition caused no elevated activity. The findings show that negative emotions lead to increased differential muscle activity in the back and thus corroborate those of previous research that emotion affects subtle bodily expressions.

Gratitude and sustainable consumer behavior: A moderated mediation model of time discounting and connectedness to the future self

AbstractPrevious studies have explored the relationship between positive emotions and individuals’ sustainable consumer behavior, but the results are inconsistent. Emotions with the same valence but different cognitive appraisals may have different effects on such behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the effects of specific positive emotions on sustainable consumer behavior. Using a longitudinal survey and three experimental studies, this study tests the effect of gratitude on sustainable product choice and examines the underlying psychological mechanism. The results indicate that both trait and state gratitude increase individuals’ sustainable product choice. Furthermore, time discounting mediates the relationship between gratitude and sustainable product choice. Connectedness to the future self moderates the mediation process in the path from gratitude to sustainable product choice and in that from gratitude to time discounting. The findings enrich our understanding of the relationship between gratitude and sustainable product choice and provide marketers with tools to increase consumers’ sustainable product choice by incorporating a gratitude appeal into their marketing communications.

Utilizing Health Behavior Change and Technology Acceptance Models to Predict the Adoption of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

BackgroundTo combat the global COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing apps have been discussed as digital health solutions to track infection chains and provide appropriate information. However, observational studies point to low acceptance in most countries, and few studies have yet examined theory-based predictors of app use in the general population to guide health communication efforts.ObjectiveThis study utilizes established health behavior change and technology acceptance models to predict adoption intentions and frequency of current app use.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional online survey between May and July 2020 in a German convenience sample (N=349; mean age 35.62 years; n=226, 65.3% female). To inspect the incremental validity of model constructs as well as additional variables (privacy concerns, personalization), hierarchical regression models were applied, controlling for covariates.ResultsThe theory of planned behavior and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology predicted adoption intentions (R2=56%-63%) and frequency of current app use (R2=33%-37%). A combined model only marginally increased the predictive value by about 5%, but lower privacy concerns and higher threat appraisals (ie, anticipatory anxiety) significantly predicted app use when included as additional variables. Moreover, the impact of perceived usefulness was positive for adoption intentions but negative for frequency of current app use.ConclusionsThis study identified several theory-based predictors of contact tracing app use. However, few constructs, such as social norms, have a consistent positive effect across models and outcomes. Further research is required to replicate these observations, and to examine the interconnectedness of these constructs and their impact throughout the pandemic. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that promulgating affirmative social norms and positive emotional effects of app use, as well as addressing health concerns, might be promising strategies to foster adoption intentions and app use in the general population.

Savoring the present: The reciprocal influence between positive emotions and positive emotion regulation in everyday life.

A growing body of research has investigated the regulation of negative emotions in ecological settings, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying positive emotion regulation in everyday life. Although some evidence suggests that adopting positive strategies is beneficial for emotional well-being, the literature is inconsistent about the effects of positive emotions on subsequent regulatory processes. In the present study, we adopted a two-week ecological momentary assessment to explore the association between positive emotions and positive emotion regulation in daily life. According to our results, the less individuals felt positive emotions at one point, the more they tended to enhance their use of positive strategies from this time to the next, which in turn resulted in subsequent higher levels of positive emotions. This prototype of positive regulation can be seen as a highly adaptive mechanism that makes it possible to compensate for a lack of positive emotions by enhancing the deployment of positive strategies. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

The Bright and Dark Side of Eudaimonic Emotions: A Conceptual Framework

Based on a review of eudaimonic emotion concepts, definitional and empirical overlaps between the concepts are identified and a framework of eudaimonic emotions is developed. The framework proposes that feelings of elevation, awe, tenderness, and being moved can be differentiated based on their feeling components, thus constituting the feeling-specific types of eudaimonic emotions. A variety of other emotion concepts rely on reference to their elicitors, such as moral elevation (i.e., being moved by moral virtue), aesthetic awe (i.e., being moved by beauty), kama muta (i.e., being moved by communal sharing) and admiration (i.e., being moved by achievements), thus constituting elicitor-specific types of eudaimonic emotions. Structuring eudaimonic emotions along these lines allows for integrating research on these emotions. This integration leads to the proposition of general eudaimonic effects and value-specific effects of positive eudaimonic emotions on behaviour. Considering these effects can enhance understanding of how positive eudaimonic emotions affect pro-social intentions—the bright side of being moved—as well as the manipulating effects of propaganda—the dark side of being moved.

How does daily family-supportive supervisor behavior relieve subordinates' job stress? The effect of ethical leadership and positive emotions

PurposeRelying on a multilevel approach, this paper investigates the day-to-day variations in family-supportive supervisor behaviors influencing subordinates' job stress, as well as the mediating role of positive emotions and the moderating role of ethical leadership.Design/methodology/approachUsing the experience-sampling methodology, the study collected the data from 137 civil servants in China who responded to one daily survey for 10 working days.FindingsWith a total of 1,370 surveys, results supported the hypothesized model linking daily family-supportive supervisor behaviors to daily job stress via subordinates' daily positive emotions. In addition, the study found a moderating effect for ethical leadership positively in the indirect relationship between family-supportive supervisor behaviors and job stress.Practical implicationsThe findings in this study serve practitioners in organizational and leadership development. For one thing, this study contributes to raising awareness about the importance of improving family-related support in the workplace in generating subordinates' positive emotions and relieving their job stress. For another, the findings highlight the necessity of cultivating ethical leadership for leaders.Originality/valueThis study fulfills an identified need to clarify how and when daily family supportive supervisor behaviors influence subordinates' daily job stress. This study moves beyond previous research by adopting the experience sampling method and demonstrating important cross-level effects of ethical leadership on the within-individual relationship between family supportive supervisor behaviors and job stress.

The Impact of Constructive Television Journalism on the Audience: Results from an Online Study

ABSTRACT Hitherto no study has investigated the impact of constructive television journalism on affections and cognition of adult viewers. Having conducted a quasi-experimental online survey in cooperation with West German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR), this paper attempts to close this gap. To measure the impact a sample of 480 people were exposed to three differently emotionalizing news topics. For each of them, three item variations were created. They consist of an individual solution, a meta-solution, and no solution. The study shows that constructive TV-pieces have a positive emotional effect on viewers. This finding is particularly pronounced for news items with an individual solution. The comparison of the results for item variations with a meta-solution or no solution did not yield conclusive evidence. Negative emotions are reduced in news items that contain individual or meta-solutions. This effect is weaker for the latter when compared to news items without solutions.

Providing Virtual Nature Experiences to Incarcerated Men Reduces Stress and Increases Interest in the Environment

Humans gain multiple health benefits through contact with the green and blue parts of the world. However, many people do not have access to such places, including more than two million adults who are incarcerated. Building on studies that have shown positive emotional and mood effects when inmates in solitary confinement were exposed to nature videos featuring nonhuman built environments in their cellblocks, we measured physiological effects of interventions of nature visual imagery and sounds (from forests, mountains, streams, and ocean) on incarcerated adult males. We documented the following: (1) stimuli from nature media were able to decrease stress levels as measured by cortisol and galvanic skin response levels of stress or proxies for stress levels, (2) mode of delivery (audio vs. visual) differentially influenced some aspects of stress indicators, (3) exposure to nature stimuli evoked interest in learning more about the depicted habitats, and (4) different habitats elicited different responses. Participants reported, through written surveys, feeling more calm, less anxious, and less depressed after viewing nature videos and/or listening to nature sounds and stated little or no preference for visual versus audio stimuli. This type of intervention shows promise as fulfilling the goals of correctional administrators and those concerned with human mental and physical health of populations with little or no contact with the benefits of actual nature experiences. Findings from this study provide foundational information for future studies on different correctional populations, and other nature-deprived populations.

Making human milk matter: the need for EU regulation

One in ten infants is born preterm worldwide, with an average preterm birth incidence of 8·7% in Europe. 1 Chawanpaiboon S Vogel JP Moller A-B et al. Global, regional, and national estimates of levels of preterm birth in 2014: a systematic review and modelling analysis. Lancet Global Health. 2019; 7: e37-46 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (611) Google Scholar Together with sick and low-birthweight infants, preterm babies belong to the most vulnerable group of patients and require special care, including nutrition. The mother's own milk is without doubt the preferred choice for infant feeding, 2 Arslanoglu S Corpeleijn W Moro G et al. Donor human milk for preterm infants: current evidence and research directions. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutrition. 2013; 57: 535-542 Crossref PubMed Scopus (241) Google Scholar and exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life is recommended. However, when the mother's own milk is not available, donor milk from a human milk bank is the next best option, because of the undisputed health benefits of human milk. 2 Arslanoglu S Corpeleijn W Moro G et al. Donor human milk for preterm infants: current evidence and research directions. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutrition. 2013; 57: 535-542 Crossref PubMed Scopus (241) Google Scholar , 3 WHODonor human milk for low-birth-weight infants. https://www.who.int/elena/titles/donormilk_infants/en/Date: July 22, 2019 Date accessed: January 14, 2021 Google Scholar Furthermore, donor milk acts as a bridge to breastfeeding, with positive psychological and emotional effects for both mother and child. 2 Arslanoglu S Corpeleijn W Moro G et al. Donor human milk for preterm infants: current evidence and research directions. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutrition. 2013; 57: 535-542 Crossref PubMed Scopus (241) Google Scholar , 4 Cassidy T Dykes F Mahon B Banking on milk: an ethnography of donor human milk relations. 1st edn. Routledge, New York2019 Crossref Scopus (6) Google Scholar

Classroom enjoyment and anxiety among Saudi undergraduate EFL students: does gender matter?


 
 
 The current study was motivated by recent interest in the effect of positive and negative emotions in the context of foreign language learning resulting from the rise of the positive psychology movement (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016; MacIntyre & Mercer, 2014). It examines the construct of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and its relationship with foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) among a group of 487 English as a foreign language (EFL) students (340 females, 147 males) enrolled in public universities in Saudi Arabia. A measure of FLE based on Likert scale ratings of ten items (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), and a measure of FLCA based on eight items extracted from the FLCAS (Horwitz et al., 1986) were used. Male and female students had the same levels of FLE and FLCA. Correlation analysis showed that the relationship between students’ FLE and FLCA was significantly negative. Qualitative analysis of the participants’ learning experiences revealed the causes of FLCA and FLE among Saudi EFL learners.
 
 

The exploration of the relationship between positive achievement emotions and academic success: testing the assumptions of the control-value theory of achievement emotions

ABSTRACT Objective: The main purpose of this study was to examine the assumptions of the control-value theory of achievement emotions in the explanation of the relationship between positive achievement emotions and academic success. Method: The study was conducted among 513 high school students (341 female) from two high schools in Zagreb, Croatia. Participants’ academic control, positive class- and learning-related achievement emotions (enjoyment, hope, pride), elaboration and rehearsal as learning strategies, and academic success were assessed in the research. Results: Results showed that academic control directly and indirectly predicted academic success. Indirect paths via class-related enjoyment and elaboration, class-related pride and elaboration, and elaboration alone were significant, while in the context of learning-related emotions only the indirect path via learning-related pride was significant. These results suggest that learning strategies represent weak mediators in the relationship between class-related emotions and academic success. However, they are not mediators in the relationship between learning-related emotions and academic success, which is not in line with the theoretical assumptions. Conclusion: The study showed some beneficial effects of positive achievement emotions for academic outcomes and therefore pointed to their importance in the academic setting.

Does the Pollyannaish View on Life Hold during Early COVID-19 Quarantine? Modeling the Effects of Positive Emotions, Hope, Optimism and Life Meaning on Life Satisfaction

This study examined 1) the effects of positive emotions, hope, optimism, and life meaning, on life satisfaction during early COVID-19 quarantine; 2) the inter-relationships between hope, optimism, life meaning and positive emotions. Respondents (759 Greek adults from the general population) completed self-report measures of affectivity (SPANE-8), life satisfaction (SWLS), hope (AHS), life meaning (MLQ) and optimism (LOT-R). A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was specified. The measurement model showed good fit, model-based reliability, convergent/discriminant validity and strict measurement invariance across gender. The full SEM model had equally good fit. The effects of Positive Emotions, Presence of Life Meaning, Optimism and Hope Agency on Life Satisfaction were positive and significant, from 0.265 - 0.402 (61.5% explained variance). The effect of Positive Emotions on Hope Agency was not significant. The effects of Optimism and Presence of Life Meaning on Hope Agency were positive, significant and strong (0.484 - 0.764). The effects of Positive Emotions and Presence of Life Meaning on Optimism were positive, significant but weak. The effect of Positive Emotions on Presence of Life Meaning was positive, significant and strong. Some study limitations were the cross-sectional design, non-probability sampling, imbalanced sample regarding gender, single method of data collection. In conclusion, during COVID-19 early quarantine: 1) Positive Emotions, Hope Agency, Optimism and Presence of Life Meaning explained almost 2/3 of Life Satisfaction; 2) Optimism had the strongest positive effect on Hope Agency; 3) Positive Emotions had the second strongest positive effect on Presence of Life Meaning. Findings have implications for efforts to sustain and promote Life Satisfaction during and after COVID-19 context.

Measuring Welfare and Spillover Effects of Ranking Information

Ranking information is often provided to improve task performance, yet its welfare and spillover effects are rarely measured. We measure these effects in a controlled laboratory experiment, in which participants conduct a simple cognitive task and report their willingness-to-pay (WTP) to receive or avoid private ranking information, and for a partial or full public announcement of the ranking information, both unconditionally and conditional on the realized rankings. The results show that although modest performance improvements are achieved by providing ranking information, low-performing individuals do bear utility losses under a full public announcement, whereas in other cases individuals mostly enjoy significant utility gains from both social comparison and social recognition. Estimates from the structural model show that all the ranking information provision schemes we consider bring positive net emotional effects for our sample. Finally, we find that partially announcing the rankings in the cognitive task increases contribution levels in a public good game played afterward; however, no spillover effects are found in a subsequent coordination game or Vendetta game.

社会支持对生活满意度的影响——积极情绪的中介作用

社会支持对生活满意度的影响——积极情绪的中介作用

Personal and Collective Processes of Spectator Emotion: Effects on Happiness and Behavioral Intention*

The purpose of this study is to provide a framework for spectator emotion research and examine the role of customers’ emotions, during the consumption experience, in creating sport fans’ psychological well-being and on fan behavior. We establish the framework of emotional experience based on spectator experience and well-being literature. Empirical evidence of the effect of positive emotions on subjective happiness and behavioral intentions are provided. Extraversion and team identification were identified as personal and collective antecedents of spectator’s readiness for embodied emotions. Extraversion and team identification were the exogenous variables, emotion was the mediator, and happiness and spectator intentions were the dependent endogenous variables. Extraversion and team identification had a significant positive impact on spectator emotion. Spectator emotion had a significant positive effect on subjective happiness and spectator intentions. Indirect effects indicated mediation effects except for paths from extraversion to subjective happiness. The significant role of emotion and the mediation effects of the framework highlight the importance of hedonic and affective experience in sports.

What Saves the Day?: Identifying Protective Factors That Buffer the Negative Effects of Daily Stressors

Older adults frequently experience daily stressors and are at increased risk of adverse health consequences. Emerging studies have focused on factors that may buffer older adults’ well-being and strengthen their resilience to stress. This symposium adds to this burgeoning literature and presents studies that identify a wide range of such stress-buffering factors, including individual characteristics and daily social and emotional experiences. Huo et al. considered older adults’ empathy and found that more empathic individuals tended to use constructive strategies but not destructive strategies when coping with interpersonal tensions. When daily tensions occurred, more empathic individuals were also better at maintaining their mood. Kim et al. showed that older adults’ marital status influenced their irritable encounters with grown children. Although irritable encounters were associated with increased daily negative mood, this link varied by parents’ marital status. Hong et al. assessed the link between daily stressors and negative affect among older adults with varying levels of loneliness. They found that positive interpersonal encounters were particularly protective for lonely older adults’ daily affect. Leger et al. further examined the buffering effects of trait level and same-day positive emotions during times of stress. Higher trait and same-day levels of positive emotions reduced negative emotions on the day following a stressor. Together, findings might inform future interventions aimed at increasing the daily experience of older adults. Dr. Hoppmann will serve as the Discussant and summarize the theoretical and methodological contributions of these studies. She will discuss challenges in this field and directions for future research.

A Novel Music Therapy Intervention Utilizing Pop Music to Reduce Adolescent Anxiety and Depression

The prevalence of adolescents' mental disorders, especially anxiety and depression, has become a critical social issue that needs to be addressed. Conventional music therapy could be a useful tool to help teens manage their symptoms. However, few kinds of research have explored the potential function of listening to pop music to improve adolescents’ mental state. This paper explored a pivotal approach to whether scientifically proven pop music can help prevent anxiety and depression. The paper developed a criterion that is used for selecting pop music with mentally beneficial elements and created a playlist with songs selected under the criterion. Two survey-based studies, containing a professional diagnosis scale and various questions, qualitatively and quantitatively examined the playlist’s emotional impact. In Study 1, results indicated that the playlist could relieve anxiety symptoms, with less influence in depression. In Study 2, regular control measures and qualitative questions proved that the selected music exerted its intended positive emotional effects onto the listener and indicated that listening to the music on a daily basis may be useful in improving and maintaining one’s healthy mental state. The results were promising and suggested great potential in future research. The scientific use of pop music as a self-help method beneficial in tackling anxiety and depression among teenagers could be a prospective field of study.

The Influence of Discrete Negative and Positive Stimuli on Recognition Memory of Younger vs. Older Adults

ABSTRACT Background: The effects of emotional stimuli on memory in older adults are often addressed in terms of socio-emotional selectivity theory and the valence dimension. Older adults usually remember positive stimuli better than negative stimuli. However, studies examining the effects of discrete emotions on the elderly are still limited. The present study examined the effects of negative and positive discrete emotions (fear, disgust, and happiness) on recognition memory of older and younger adults. Method: In the encoding phase, participants studied happiness-, disgust-, fear-, and neutral- related photos while doing a line discrimination task that assessed their attention. After 45 minutes, they completed an old/new recognition memory test on a confidence rating scale and also rated self-relevance of photos. Results: Younger participants showed a more liberal response bias for disgust- and fear-related stimuli, and were also more accurate in recognizing disgust-related photos compared to others. Older adults showed a more liberal bias only for disgust-related stimuli, however, their recognition accuracy did not differ across emotion categories. Conclusion: These results suggested that the effect of disgust-related stimuli on recognition memory may decrease with age and emotion effects cannot solely be accounted for by the valence/arousal dimensions.

Correction to Geschwind et al. (2020).

Reports an error in "Positivity pays off: Clients' perspectives on positive compared with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy for depression" by Nicole Geschwind, Emke Bosgraaf, Fredrike Bannink and Frenk Peeters (Psychotherapy, Advanced Online Publication, Feb 20, 2020, np). In the article http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pst0000288), the second to last sentence does not appear correctly and should appear instead as follows: The conclusion emerging from this study is that exploring better moments and building positivity efficiently counters depressive symptoms and builds well-being. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2020-12346-001.) In this qualitative study, we explored the experiences of clients receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for major depressive disorder. All participants received 8 sessions of traditional CBT (based on Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emergy, 1979) and 8 sessions of positive CBT (order counterbalanced). The aim of the study was to examine clients' experience of positive CBT and to contrast this with their experience of traditional CBT. Positive CBT structurally and selectively focuses on better moments (exceptions to the problem as opposed to the problem), strengths, and positive emotions and integrates traditional CBT with solution-focused brief therapy and positive psychology. In addition to conducting interviews with 12 individuals, the second author attended all therapy sessions of 4 clients and observed biweekly supervision sessions as further methods of data collection. Qualitative analysis showed that, despite initial skepticism, clients preferred positive CBT and indicated experiencing a steeper learning curve during positive, compared with traditional, CBT for depression. The popularity of positive CBT was attributable to 4 influences: feeling good and empowered, benefitting from upward spiral effects of positive emotions, learning to appreciate baby steps, and (re)discovering optimism as a personal strength. Qualitative analysis showed that, despite better moments and building positivity efficiently counters depressive symptoms and builds well-being. Clients perceived positive CBT's upbeat tone as stimulating and as motivating for change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).