Positive Emotional Experiences Research Articles

The effect of positive emotion on foreign language teacher engagement and well-being: A cross-cultural comparison

Foreign language teaching enjoyment (FLTE) has recently been introduced as a broad positive emotion experienced by foreign language (FL) teachers, despite obstacles embedded in FL teaching. However, identifying its psychological outcomes – and the cultural specificity of these outcomes – has received scant research attention across different contexts. The present cross-cultural study aims to investigate whether teachers’ FLTE can predict and influence engagement and well-being in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context of Iran and China. A series of structural equation models (SEMs) indicated that EFL teachers’ FLTE affected their work engagement and well-being in both Iranian and Chinese samples, with structural invariance tests confirming the group-level differences between Iranian and Chinese EFL teachers in the light of FLTE outcomes. The study provides insight into the positive outcomes of positive emotions in FL teaching as framed by the lens of positive psychology. In addition, a rare non-Western cross-cultural comparison contributes to the ongoing discussions in literature regarding the influence of cultural contexts on the experience and outcome manifestation of positive emotions.

Influence of Retirement Experiences on Psychological Well-Being of Retired Teachers in East Gonja Municipality, Ghana

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of retirement experiences on psychological well-being of retired teachers in the East Gonja Municipality. The study employed a quantitative approach underpinned by analytical cross-sectional design. The target population of the study comprised of retired teachers in the East Gonja Municipality. A total of 320 retired teachers from East Gonja Municipality were purposively selected to constitute the sample for the study. Methodology: Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) and Psychological Well-Being Scale were adopted for data collection. Data was analysed using means and standard deviation and linear regression. Findings: The study found that most of the retired teachers in the East Gonja Municipality in the Savannah Region of Ghana experience positive emotions, express optimism, and are satisfied with their lives in their retirement phase of life. Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: The study concludes that retirement experiences are unique and can be a liberating experience for retired teachers, where they can pursue their interests and hobbies without any restrictions. It is recommended that retirement should be a time for retired teachers to focus on their health and well-being, a time they can pursue activities that promote physical and mental health. This study recommends to education system to provide pre-retirement counselling and post-retirement support programmes, focusing on mental health and well-being. Also, the study recommends to pension and retirement agencies to develop and implement workshops and peer support programmes to promote retired teachers’ psychological well-being, addressing issues of social isolation and identity loss.

Assessment and Application of Digital Museum Visitors' Emotional Experience Based on Virtual Reality Technology and Emotion Recognition Algorithm

Abstract Each person will have different emotional experience for the same scene or exhibit, which reduces the accuracy of emotional recognition and leads to the complexity of the evaluation of visitors' emotional experience in digital museums. In order to improve the user experience of digital museum, the evaluation and optimization methods of visitors' emotional experience of digital museum based on virtual reality technology and emotion recognition algorithm are studied. The spectrogram is generated according to the voice sent by tourists when they visit the digital museum, which is based on CSWNet_ CRNN emotion recognition depth learning model input, evaluate the tourists' emotional experience results, and draw the tourists' emotional types of digital museums; The visual and auditory features of the digital museum scene with positive emotional experience are extracted respectively. Using virtual reality technology, the extracted features are applied to each link of the digital museum scene content design, optimizing the digital museum virtual reality scene, and improving the digital museum experience. The experiment shows that the tourist emotion recognition accuracy of this method is high, and the emotion recognition accuracy of 300 random tourists can reach 100%. In terms of generating new scenes, the feature extraction results of this scene are consistent with the feature estimation of positive emotions by ordinary people. The use of extracted features to optimize the digital museum scene has better realism and detail accuracy, which can be favored by most people and promote the sustainable development of digital museums.

Unlocking technology acceptance among South African employees: A psychological perspective

Orientation: The study delves into technological acceptance within South African organisations, identifying psychological factors influencing employees’ willingness to adopt technology. Barriers to technology adoption are explored, emphasising the universal relevance of identified psychological constructs.Research purpose: To understand the psychological barriers influencing successful technological adoption in South African organisations.Motivations for the study: High failure rates in tech-implementation projects are linked to employee resistance, revealing a crucial gap in understanding psychological dynamics. Recognising human factors as pivotal to technological success, there is a need to transcend technical aspects, exploring individual experiences during organisational transitions.Research approach/design and method: Using a qualitative approach with non-random snowball sampling, 17 South African employees were interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Thematic analysis revealed specific categories of psychological barriers.Main findings: Identified barriers proved to be the antithesis of positive psychological constructs, including lack of psychological safety, lack of organisational trust, lack of psychological availability, negative emotions, low self-efficacy and low frustration tolerance. The presence of these barriers, hindering participants’ willingness to adopt new technologies.Practical/managerial implications: Organisations are advised to prioritise fostering a culture of psychological safety and trust, transparent communication and positive emotional experiences during technology adoption at the individual level. Training programmes enhancing self-efficacy and promoting mindfulness practices can mitigate barriers.Contribution/value-add: This research stresses the significance of the role of psychological factors in inhibiting an employee’s technological acceptance, providing practical guidance for industrial psychologists, HR professionals and change managers. The need to consider individual experiences during technological transitions, has universal implications across diverse workplaces.

Designing positive emotional experiences of wearable medical technology for type 1 diabetes

AbstractWith the current strain on the healthcare service, wearable technology presents a solution. However, there is a lack of adoption from user groups due to a focus on clinical and financial factors. This study explores the implementation of positive design in medicine, outlining contributing factors to positive emotional experiences. Using a qualitative methodology in the form of semi-structured interviews with users and experts, a construct was defined consisting of five key psychological needs, including control, stimulation, competence, social factors, and purpose & growth.

The role of positive learning emotions in sustaining cognitive motivation for multilingual development

This qualitative study explores the influence of learning emotions on the sustainment of cognitive motivation in multilingual development. Specifically, it examines whether positive emotions experienced during the learning process contribute to the maintenance of cognitive motivation in future language use. The study adopted a multiple-case design, involving nine multilingual learners in China, and utilised individual interviews and written documents as data sources. The findings of this study reveal a subtle relationship between positive emotions and the sustainment of cognitive motivation for multilingual development. Specifically, it was observed that not all positive emotions necessarily contributed to the maintenance of cognitive motivation from the learning process to later stages of language use. Rather, the sustainment of cognitive motivation appeared to be more closely linked to positive emotions that were directly related to the learner's sense of self such as self-satisfaction or an enhancement of their self-efficacy. This study thus highlights the need for a more precise approach to fostering positive emotional experiences that are specifically tied to learners' sense of self, in order to promote long-term language learning success and effective language use in professional settings.

Nostalgia Promotes Positive Beliefs about College Belonging and Success among First-Generation College Students

AbstractFirst-generation college students often develop negative thoughts and expectations about whether they belong in college and whether they can be successful in college, and these negative thoughts play a major role in college retention and success. Nostalgia, a mixed but mostly positive emotional experience that involves reflecting on personally meaningful events from one’s life, has been found to promote an optimistic future orientation. We tested the applied value of nostalgia’s future-orienting capacity for fostering positive beliefs about college belonging and success among first-generation college students in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, first-generation students who reflected on a nostalgic event from their past reported more positive beliefs about their potential to discover a sense of belonging in their college community, compared to first-generation students who reflected on an ordinary event. In Experiment 2, nostalgic reflection once again increased positive expectations for belonging in first-generation college students as well as optimism for academic success. We conclude that the power of nostalgia to promote a positive future orientation may be harnessed by institutions and programs looking to encourage belonging and optimism to help first-generation college students adjust to and succeed in college.

Reciprocal relationships between positive expectancies and positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-lagged panel study

Introduction Previous research highlighted the importance of investigating distinct protective factors that predict the experience of positive emotions during stressful situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In this longitudinal study, we specifically focused on positive expectancies towards the future (optimism, response expectancy, and response hope) in relation to the experience of positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our primary objectives were to identify the best predictors for experiencing short-term and long-term positive emotions and investigate their interrelationships. Methods Data from 271 participants (average age = 29.2 years, 84.7% female) were analyzed using four cross-lagged models. Results Results showed that response expectancy was the best predictor for experiencing positive emotions in the short term, while optimism was the best predictor for experiencing positive emotions in the long term. Additionally, through further exploratory analysis, multiple bidirectional relationships were identified between positive expectancies and positive emotions. Discussion Our results highlight the significant role played by positive expectancies in predicting the experience of positive emotions. Specifically, dispositional optimism emerged as a stronger predictor of longer-term positive emotions, whereas response expectancy proved to be a better predictor of shorter-term positive emotions. Thus, interventions targeting positive expectancies have the potential to enhance emotional functioning in individuals during challenging situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Comparative Analysis of Positive and Negative Stimuli for Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Pooled Analysis of Two Studies and a Systematic Review.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by transient myocardial dysfunction triggered by both negative and positive emotional experiences, known respectively as broken heart syndrome (BHS) and happy heart syndrome (HHS). Despite the scarcity of comparative analyses between HHS and BHS in the literature, our pooled analysis, incorporating two retrospective registry analyses of 1395 TTC patients (57 HHS and 1338 BHS), reveals that while BHS is more prevalent, both conditions exhibit similar clinical presentations and outcomes. Statistical analyses, utilizing binary random effects models, indicate that diabetes mellitus is less common in HHS patients and serves as a predictor for BHS. Furthermore, there are differences in cardiac imaging between the two groups; individuals with HHS have higher odds of experiencing midventricular ballooning, whereas those with BHS are more likely to have apical ballooning. These findings highlight the similarities in clinical features and outcomes between HHS and BHS, while also illustrating distinct imaging profiles. The study emphasizes the need for future prospective studies to delve deeper into the implications of these TTC subtypes, offering valuable insights into their comparative aspects and underlying mechanisms.

Feel Your Best Self: Insights from elementary teachers’ use in teaching emotion-focused coping strategies

Feel Your Best Self (FYBS) teaches 12 emotion-focused coping strategies to strengthen emotion regulation and day-to-day experiences of positive emotions. Released in 2022, FYBS was designed to be implemented flexibly and with minimal preparation by elementary educators. In this manuscript, we present findings from a case study of early adopters (n = 6), sharing insights into how they have used, adapted, and generalized the program with their students. Participants ranged from first to fifth grade teachers. Four teachers implemented in English and two teachers implemented in Spanish. Findings suggest that early adopters “kept it simple;” leaned into opportunities to promote joy, engagement, and access using FYBS; adjusted instructional activities for developmental appropriateness; and integrated additional best practices. These insights suggest that FYBS is achieving its intended goal of simple and flexible instruction of emotion-focused coping strategies in elementary classrooms. We conclude by discussing next steps in expanding FYBS materials and testing the program’s cultural responsiveness and impact on student outcomes.

Perceived responses, capitalization, and daily gratitude: Do age and closeness matter?

Successful capitalization and feelings of gratitude are both dependent upon perceived responsiveness of a social partner, but they are understudied in combination and have yet to be studied jointly in a daily context. Taking a new approach to studying capitalization, the current study examines the effect of daily capitalization on momentary gratitude and investigates the role of the capitalizer's typical perceived responses to capitalization attempts (PRCA) on daily gratitude and future capitalization attempts. Age and social closeness are studied as amplifiers, as older adults prioritize positive emotional experiences and it is more common to capitalize with closer others for whom the capitalizer's good news is salient and who are thus motivated to provide support to the capitalizer. Participants (N = 290) aged 25-85 years completed a trait-level survey followed by ecological momentary assessment surveys (six per day) for 10 days. Results demonstrate that people experienced higher daily gratitude when capitalizing, especially when interacting with a social partner rated as high in closeness. Those who had higher trait active-constructive PRCA also experienced higher daily gratitude, with this effect strengthened among older adults. Perceived responses were also associated with more attempts to capitalize in daily life. This work suggests engaging in capitalization and perceiving regular enthusiastic and supportive responses to one's capitalization attempts have daily emotional and behavioral benefits. Notably, regular enthusiastic responses to capitalization attempts may be a motivator for future attempts across adulthood, but it may be particularly likely to foster feelings of gratitude in old age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Abnormal ambiguous facial expression recognition in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia (SCZ) exhibit difficulties deficits in recognizing facial expressions with unambiguous valence. However, only a limited number of studies have examined how these patients fare in interpreting facial expressions with ambiguous valence (for example, surprise). Thus, we aimed to explore the influence of emotional background information on the recognition of ambiguous facial expressions in SCZ.MethodsA 3 (emotion: negative, neutral, and positive) × 2 (group: healthy controls and SCZ) experimental design was adopted in the present study. The experimental materials consisted of 36 images of negative emotions, 36 images of neutral emotions, 36 images of positive emotions, and 36 images of surprised facial expressions. In each trial, a briefly presented surprised face was preceded by an affective image. Participants (36 SCZ and 36 healthy controls (HC)) were required to rate their emotional experience induced by the surprised facial expressions. Participants’ emotional experience was measured using the 9-point rating scale. The experimental data have been analyzed by conducting analyses of variances (ANOVAs) and correlation analysis.ResultsFirst, the SCZ group reported a more positive emotional experience under the positive cued condition compared to the negative cued condition. Meanwhile, the HC group reported the strongest positive emotional experience in the positive cued condition, a moderate experience in the neutral cued condition, and the weakest in the negative cue condition. Second, the SCZ (vs. HC) group showed longer reaction times (RTs) for recognizing surprised facial expressions. The severity of schizophrenia symptoms in the SCZ group was negatively correlated with their rating scores for emotional experience under neutral and positive cued condition.ConclusionsRecognition of surprised facial expressions was influenced by background information in both SCZ and HC, and the negative symptoms in SCZ. The present study indicates that the role of background information should be fully considered when examining the ability of SCZ to recognize ambiguous facial expressions.

Emotion Evoking Game Design: Evaluating Induced Emotions Among Individuals with Healthy, Problematic, and Disordered Gaming

Background: Individuals diagnosed with gaming disorder (GD) often exhibit increased arousal during gameplay. Objectives: This study aims to compare arousal levels among individuals with GD, problematic gamers (PG), and those with healthy gaming habits (HG) using a 14-stage hyper-casual racing game. It further investigates how game difficulty affects emotional responses. Methods: We developed a detailed game and involved 146 participants to evaluate their feelings of dominance, arousal, and valence at each game stage, utilizing the Self-Assessment Manikin Test. Results: Problematic gamers and those with healthy gaming habits displayed similar emotional fluctuations throughout the game, whereas individuals with GD demonstrated a stable emotional pattern, regardless of game difficulty. An increase in game difficulty was associated with enhanced positive emotional experiences and a decrease in feelings of dominance. Stages 4, 12, and 13 of the game were identified as particularly emotionally engaging. Conclusions: Individuals with GD may possess a distinct emotional profile, providing valuable insights into the psychology of gaming and emotional well-being in today's digital era.

Beyond the Burden: A Qualitative Inquiry into the Experiences of Chinese Informal Caregivers for People Living with HIV or AIDS.

Informal caregivers are defined as families or close friends of patients, which take considerable responsibilities for providing care to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Although there have been a number of studies in caregiver of PLWHA, research studies that sought to quantify the effects of informal caregiving for the caregivers failed to successfully provide empirical understanding of the nature of caregiving experience. Therefore, this study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the experiences and feelings of caregivers of PLWHA during the long-term care process. The qualitative study was conducted in August 2023 in Beijing, China. Data were collected through individual in-depth semi-structured interviews with informal caregivers of PLWHA. Theme analysis was used to identify themes from the interview transcripts. A total of 21 participants were recruited into our study, 16 were family members of PLWAHA, and 5 were homosexual lover or close friend of PLWHA. Three major themes and ten sub themes were identified by thematic analysis: (1) care burden experience (including 5 sub-themes: negative emotional experience, psychological burden, economic burden, physical health loss and limitation of social interaction); (2) benefit findings from care (including 3 sub-theme: positive emotional experience, perceived social support, health promotion); (3) Demands for caregiving capacity (including 2 sub-theme: inadequate caregiving capacity and inadequate psychological comfort capacity). This qualitative study provides a comprehensive exploration of the experiences faced by informal caregivers of PLWHA in China, uncovering the complex spectrum of psychological, physical, social, and economic challenges inherent in their caregiving roles, while predominantly challenging, caregivers also reported personal growth, increased social support, and emotional fulfillment. The research results could help in developing effective interventions to reduce the caregiver burden and improve their mental health.

Acoustic Comfort in Indoor Sporting Arena for E-Sports Venue: An Analysis of The Determining Criteria and A Conceptual Framework

It is vital that people concentrate and focus on the types of sports and amenities in the context of sports facilities to provide acoustic comfort for players and fans. Thus, influences the positive or negative psychological and emotional impact experience during the sports matches. Esports events are mostly organized in enclosed spaces facilities such as indoor arenas or stadiums, which are spaces where speech intelligibility and noise level determine, to a large extent, the listening comfort or even the safety of the occupants. More noise may distract players throughout the match and during the match, interfering with their performance and communication with coaches if there is no proper sound blocking or insulation. This research will look at critical literature studies of the defining elements and criteria for this occurrence to develop a conceptual framework for how players, coaches, and spectators experienced acoustic comfort in various types of Esports venue. The primary goal of this research is to clarify the differences in Esports venue design and the determining factors that influence human acoustic comfort. As a result, the goal of this study is to create a framework based on the elements that determine acoustic comfort classification in Esports venues. Designers and architects able to utilize this framework as a guide to assist them prepare estimates of acoustic conditions and corrective activities in Esports venue which tailored suited to players, as well as the effects on staffs and spectators, thus create a highly immersive experience.

The impact of room shape on affective states, heartrate, and creative output

The architectural design of space can deeply impact an individuals' mood, physiology, and mental health. While previous research has predominantly focused on elements like nature and lighting within architectural spaces, there is a growing literature base that also investigates the psychological and neurophysiological impacts of geometrical properties of architectural spaces. Employing virtual reality technology, the study sought to investigate the effects of curved and rectangular architectural spaces on affective states, heart rate, and creativity.A total of 35 participants were exposed to two distinct virtual environments: a curved room and a rectangular room. Participants' self-reported mood was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-Long Form). Heart rate was monitored using a pulse oximeter, and creative output was evaluated using the Guilford Alternative Uses Task (GAUT).Statistical comparisons between the two room types indicated that participants experienced higher positive affect and lower negative affect in the curved room condition compared to the rectangular room condition. Furthermore, heart rate measurements revealed lower physiological arousal in the curved room. Additionally, participants exhibited higher creative output in the curved room as opposed to the rectangular room.These findings align with previous literature on the influence of geometric factors on affective responses. The implications of this study are significant as they pertain to individuals' daily environments and their impact on health and well-being. The positive influence of curved room geometry on mood, arousal, and creativity emphasises the importance of considering room layout and design in various settings, such as workplaces and educational environments. Architects and designers can utilise these findings to inform their decisions and promote neuroarchitecture that enhances positive emotional experiences and productivity.

Bidirectional Influence Between Emotions and Language Achievement Based on the Control-value Theory

Emotions play a crucial role in language learning, influencing learners’ motivation, engagement, and ultimately, their academic achievement. This paper examines the bidirectional relationship between emotions, particularly Enjoyment, Anxiety, and Boredom, and language achievement based on the Control-Value Theory (CVT). Drawing on theoretical frameworks and empirical research, the study explores how emotions and language proficiency interact, shaping students’ learning trajectories. By considering the complex interplay between affective states and academic outcomes, educators can develop more holistic approaches to language instruction and support, fostering positive emotional experiences and optimizing students’ language learning journeys.

Teachers emotionally profit from positive school leadership: Applying the PERMA-Lead model to the control-value theory of emotions

Based on Pekrun's (2006) control-value theory (CVT) of achievement emotions, we investigated the antecedents of school teachers' emotions. We hypothesized that teachers' perception of positive leadership at school as assessed via PERMA-Lead, a leading style grounded in positive psychology, would lead to teachers' experiences of high positive and low negative teaching emotions. According to CVT, those relations should be mediated by teachers' perceptions of control and value of their work at school. We could confirm this mediation hypothesis based on a sample of n = 446 teachers. Implications for research and practice are outlined.

Joy and excitement in the purchase process: the role of materialism and brand engagement

PurposeThis paper aims to use the cognitive appraisal theory to investigate the effects of brand engagement and materialism on the positive emotions of joy and excitement evoked by a product at different stages of the purchase process.Design/methodology/approachTwo complementary studies were conducted to achieve the research objectives. Study 1 used a longitudinal design, examining the pre-purchase stage and a moment shortly after the purchase. Study 2 adopted a cross-sectional approach, focusing on the post-purchase stage. Relationships among variables were analyzed through hierarchical regression and moderation analyses.FindingsThe findings indicate that materialism is not significantly associated with consumers’ positive product-evoked emotions (joy and excitement) before and shortly after purchase. At these two stages, brand engagement predicts positive emotions. In the post-purchase stage, where materialism is weakly related to joy and excitement, a robust positive link exists between brand engagement and positive product-evoked emotions. Moreover, higher levels of materialism reduce the experience of joy and excitement among participants with high levels of brand engagement.Originality/valueExperiencing joy and excitement is crucial in consumer behavior. However, little is known about the determinants of these emotions in the consumption context, especially concerning internal consumption-related factors and different stages of the purchase process. This paper contributes to the field by shedding light on the role of brand engagement and materialism in the experience of positive product-evoked emotions. The findings provide evidence that brand engagement significantly enhances consumers’ positive product-evoked emotions, highlighting its importance in consumer behavior research.

Facilitators and barriers of initiation and maintenance of physical activity among people with coronary heart disease: a qualitative study

Purpose We aimed to describe the facilitators and barriers of physical activity for patients with coronary heart disease. Methods A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 15 participants with coronary heart disease. The interview guide was developed based on a multi-theory model. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a thematic analysis. Results Two main themes were identified: facilitators of initiation and maintenance of physical activity (behavioral motivation, perceived benefits, behavioral confidence, supportive physical environment, positive emotional experience, self-regulation, supportive social environment, illness perception, and excellent self-control), barriers of initiation and maintenance of physical activity (perceived barriers, restricted physical environment, psychological distress, insufficient social support, and poor self-control). Conclusions This study presents an in-depth theory-based exploration of facilitators and barriers to initiating and maintaining physical activity among people with coronary heart disease. Relevant factors should be taken into account to increase their effectiveness when designing the target interventions to encourage a physically active lifestyle in this population.