Impact Of Negative Emotions Research Articles

The amygdala: securing pleasure and avoiding pain

The amygdala has traditionally been associated with fear, mediating the impact of negative emotions on memory. However, this view does not fully encapsulate the function of the amygdala, nor the impact that processing in this structure has on the motivational limbic corticostriatal circuitry of which it is an important structure. Here we discuss the interactions between different amygdala nuclei with cortical and striatal regions involved in motivation; interconnections and parallel circuitries that have become increasingly understood in recent years. We review the evidence that the amygdala stores memories that allow initially motivationally neutral stimuli to become associated through pavlovian conditioning with motivationally relevant outcomes which, importantly, can be either appetitive (e.g. food) or aversive (e.g. electric shock). We also consider how different psychological processes supported by the amygdala such as conditioned reinforcement and punishment, conditioned motivation and suppression, and conditioned approach and avoidance behavior, are not only psychologically but also neurobiologically dissociable, being mediated by distinct yet overlapping neural circuits within the limbic corticostriatal circuitry. Clearly the role of the amygdala goes beyond encoding aversive stimuli to also encode the appetitive, requiring an appreciation of the amygdala's mediation of both appetitive and fearful behavior through diverse psychological processes.

Emotion regulation and emotional information processing: The moderating effect of emotional awareness

The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of emotional awareness in the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and emotional information processing. A total of 120 female students regulated emotions while watching an unpleasant film. Before and after emotion induction, participants completed a set of tasks that required matching facial expressions. The results demonstrated that participants who were high in emotional awareness showed a significantly smaller increase in error responses (i.e., incorrect matches) than participants who were low in emotional awareness. However, this effect was observed only in suppression (i.e., inhibition of an emotionally expressive behavior), masking (i.e., emotion experienced with a happy expression) and control (i.e., no regulation) conditions. Among reappraisers, who were instructed to adopt a neutral attitude toward the film, regardless of whether they were high or low in emotional awareness, there was not a significant increase in error responses. This study shows that the potentially damaging impact of negative emotions on the processing of emotional information can be prevented by a high emotional awareness or with the implementation of reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy.

Emotion and automaticity: Impact of positive and negative emotions on novice and experienced performance of a sensorimotor skill

Attention was directed towards negative, neutral, and positive word stimuli to explore the effect of emotions on sensorimotor skill performance. Forty novice and 40 experienced basketballers simultaneously completed a free-throw shooting task and a secondary word semantics task. A manipulation check confirmed that the secondary task influenced participants' feelings. Both groups responded faster to neutral and positive words than negative words. Shooting performance of novices did not differ between experimental conditions, but experienced basketballers were more accurate when processing positive stimuli. It was concluded that directing attention towards positive emotion may have benefited sports performance by diverting attention away from execution of the primary task, promoting automatic skill execution by experienced basketballers.

Transforming the negotiator: The impact of critical learning on teaching and practicing negotiation

A long-standing debate in the negotiation field is whether negotiators can actually change their styles. In this article I offer two contributions to the literature and its pedagogy by suggesting that we shift the focus of the debate. Instead of considering negotiator styles as fixed predispositions, I propose that we view them as actions resulting from learning. From this perspective, the conflict-negotiation dynamic can be conceived as a critical learning process and negotiators as critical learners. We can then trace and incorporate the impact of negative emotions on learning and on the action it informs. I offer a system dynamic model to account for the cyclical links between actual conflicts, defensiveness, learning, and negotiators’ habitual responses to conflicts. Pedagogically, the model can be used descriptively to help negotiators understand such responses to actual conflicts, and prescriptively to garner their potential to change and transform. I share the experience of using the model in my classes and provide examples from helping negotiators unsettle their frames of reference and the assumptions they hold.

Urgency and negative emotions: Evidence for moderation on negative alcohol consequences

Prior research had shown that impulsivity may enhance the impact of negative emotions on alcohol related problems. However, these studies used broad measures of both negative emotions and impulsivity that may have obscured the effects of more specific constructs of impulsivity or negative emotions. One such construct is urgency, which is defined as the tendency to act impulsively in the face of strong positive emotions (positive urgency) or negative emotions (negative urgency). The present study tested whether urgency moderated the association between separate negative emotions (anger, depression and anxiety) and alcohol related problems. Data were obtained from a large online sample of currently drinking college students attending a large Northwestern university ( n = 442). Findings indicated that alcohol related problems were directly associated with anger and both urgency facets. Additionally, positive urgency, but not negative urgency, enhanced the effects of depression, while the buffering effects of positive urgency on the anxiety-consequences association approached significance. These results suggest the importance of emotional context in understanding how dispositions towards rash action may lead to problematic alcohol use.

The importance of being emotional: How do emotions affect entrepreneurial opportunity evaluation and exploitation?

We examine the impact of positive (joy) and negative (fear) emotions on distinct phases of the entrepreneurial process. To analyze the effects of emotions on entrepreneurial opportunity evaluation and exploitation we use an experimental design completed by 146 participants from 40 young entrepreneurial firms. As predicted by the emotion-as-information theory and by the concept-priming theory, induced emotions change perception and decision-making of unrelated economic situations, namely entrepreneurial evaluation and exploitation. The results demonstrate that on the one hand, positive emotions affect opportunity evaluation positively and on the other hand, exploitation, negatively. Surprisingly, it is shown that negative emotions influence not only opportunity evaluation, but also opportunity exploitation negatively.

Staying Cool when Things Get Hot: Emotion Regulation Modulates Neural Mechanisms of Memory Encoding

During times of emotional stress, individuals often engage in emotion regulation to reduce the experiential and physiological impact of negative emotions. Interestingly, emotion regulation strategies also influence memory encoding of the event. Cognitive reappraisal is associated with enhanced memory while expressive suppression is associated with impaired explicit memory of the emotional event. However, the mechanism by which these emotion regulation strategies affect memory is unclear. We used event-related fMRI to investigate the neural mechanisms that give rise to memory formation during emotion regulation. Twenty-five participants viewed negative pictures while alternately engaging in cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, or passive viewing. As part of the subsequent memory design, participants returned to the laboratory two weeks later for a surprise memory test. Behavioral results showed a reduction in negative affect and a retention advantage for reappraised stimuli relative to the other conditions. Imaging results showed that successful encoding during reappraisal was uniquely associated with greater co-activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus, amygdala, and hippocampus, suggesting a possible role for elaborative encoding of negative memories. This study provides neurobehavioral evidence that engaging in cognitive reappraisal is advantageous to both affective and mnemonic processes.

Planned versus Actual Betting in Sequential Gambles

Anecdotal evidence indicates that in a gambling environment, consumers may end up betting more than they had initially planned. The authors assess this phenomenon in a series of three experiments, in which people are exposed to sequential and fair gambles in a two-stage process (planned and actual bets). The results show that in the planning phase, people behave conservatively, betting on average less after an anticipated loss and the same amount after an anticipated gain. However, after experiencing an actual loss in the first gamble, people bet in a subsequent gamble significantly more than they had initially planned, whereas on average, there were no observable differences from the plan after an actual gain. The reason for such asymmetry is due in part to people's tendency to underestimate, at the planning phase of the gamble, the impact of negative emotions in betting decisions during the actual phase of the gamble.

Illness perceptions, coping and quality of life in patients with alopecia

Alopecia can have substantial psychological consequences, but there has been no research looking at patients' beliefs about their condition nor how they relate to quality of life (QoL). To investigate the relationships between illness perceptions, coping and QoL in patients with alopecia. The study employed a cross-sectional design. In total, 214 individuals with alopecia were recruited from four internet support groups. There were 171 women and 43 men (mean age 35 years). Participants completed an online questionnaire comprising the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Dermatology Life Quality Index and the brief COPE. The findings indicate several areas in which alopecia impacted on individuals' QoL, particularly in relation to symptoms and feelings. Women reported poorer QoL compared with men. Impaired QoL was associated with a strong illness identity, beliefs in the serious consequences of alopecia and strong emotional representations. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that illness perceptions accounted for 35% of the variance in QoL after controlling for demographic and disease factors, with coping adding a further 7% to the regression model. Although alopecia is not a life-threatening condition, it can impair QoL by negatively impacting on self-awareness. The strong relationships found between patients' beliefs about their condition and QoL suggests that health professionals should recognize the psychological impact of alopecia and address negative beliefs and emotions surrounding the condition in treatment programmes.

Emotion-dependent modulation of interference processes: an fMRI study.

We studied the effects of experimentally induced emotions on inhibitory control using functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRI). The Simon task used involves two conditions with different attentional demands and is a well established paradigm for studying inhibitory control. Incompatible trials demand cognitive control for resolving interference. Compatible trials need no inhibitory control. Twelve participants viewed a series of affective pictures inducing positive, negative or neutral affects. Between the picture blocks, participants performed either incompatible or compatible trials. Behavioral and fMRI data revealed an impact of negative emotions only on the processing of ncompatible trials. Subjects made more errors and showed less activation of brain areas associated with task performance. There was no effect of positive emotions neither on compatible nor incompatible trials. The results first showed that especially the processing of negative emotions is resource competing and secondly that the competition concerns only the controlled route of cognitive processing.

On the Perils of Glorifying the In‐group: Intergroup Violence, In‐group Glorification, and Moral Disengagement

AbstractThe moral disengagement strategies that individuals use when appraising misdeeds committed by their in‐groups (e.g., nations) are discussed, with a particular focus on the process of dehumanization of the victims. The glorification of the in‐group is identified as a main determinant of the use of such strategies, which, in turn, affect behavioral intentions related to punishment of perpetrators and reparations to victims. It is further discussed whether such moral disengagement strategies are prompted by a need to prevent the emergence or diminish the impact of negative emotions (such as shame and guilt) that are likely to be experienced by the individuals because of their connection with the in‐group. Possible policy implications of this analysis are suggested.

Investigating the Effects of Consumption Emotions on Customer Satisfaction and Repeat Visit Intentions in the Lodging Industry

ABSTRACT This study addressed the impact of positive and negative consumption emotions on customer satisfaction and repeat visit intentions. A total of 248 cases were used to test the hypotheses using a series of multiple regression analyses. Generally, the findings were consistent with the literature. Two dimensions (positive and negative) of consumption emotions were confirmed in this study using a confirmatory factor analysis. Positive and negative consumption emotions showed significant effects on customer satisfaction and repeat visit intentions. Customer satisfaction was a significant determinant of repeat visit intentions. Customer satisfaction appeared to be a full mediator in the relationship between positive and negative consumption emotions of customers and their repeat visit intentions. Negative emotion had a greater influence on customer satisfaction and customer repeat visit intentions than positive emotion, so the loss aversion of the prospect theory was empirically supported in its explanation of customer repeat visit supported in its explanation of customer repeat visit intentions in the lodging industry.

Ambivalent Affect and Sexual Response: The Impact of Co-Occurring Positive and Negative Emotions on Subjective and Physiological Sexual Responses to Erotic Stimuli

This study aimed to clarify the role of positive, negative, and ambivalent (i.e., co-occurring positive and negative) affect in predicting subjective sexual arousal, sexual desire, and genital response. A total of 26 women and 19 men observed three erotic film excerpts and a film excerpt depicting a coercive sexual encounter. Genital responses were recorded throughout the study, and participants rated their mood and subjective sexual arousal and desire following each excerpt. Results showed that positive affect was strongly and positively related to subjective sexual response. Although negative affect was generally a poor predictor of subjective sexual arousal, for women, it was positively associated with genital response in some conditions. Ambivalent affect was consistently associated with relatively high levels of subjective sexual arousal and desire. Results point to the importance of recognizing the role of ambivalent or mixed emotional states when evaluating the relationship between affect and sexual response.

The Influence of Experience and Sequence of Conflicting Emotions on Ad Attitudes

Two experiments suggest that when participants evaluate an ad, they prefer improving ad emotions, because attitudes are based on an assessment of whether the emotions deviate positively or negatively from previous levels of emotions. In contrast, when emotions are experienced, positive emotions facilitate coping with later negativity, and an ad with declining (vs. improving) emotions results in more favorable attitudes. This beneficial effect of experienced positive emotions in reducing the impact of subsequent negative emotions is reversed when the positive emotions are allowed to dissipate over a time delay between the experiences of the two emotions.

When Subgroups Secede: Extending and Refining the Social Psychological Model of Schism in Groups

This article is about a field study (N=1,080) concerning the secession of a subgroup from the Church of England, and it is aimed at extending and refining the existing social psychological model of schisms in groups. It was found that the first step toward a schism is the belief that the group identity has been subverted. This belief will prompt negative emotions (i.e., dejection and agitation) and decrease both group identification and perceived group entitativity (i.e., cohesion, oneness). In turn, low group entitativity will reduce the level of group identification. Finally, low group identification and high negative emotions will increase schismatic intentions. It is also demonstrated that the negative impact of group identification, and the positive impact of negative emotions, on schismatic intentions is moderated by the perceived ability to voice dissent (i.e., the greater the perceived voice, the weaker the impact).

An empirical assessment of the influence of customer emotions and contact employee performance on encounter and relationship satisfaction

Our study examines the effect of customer emotions and contact employee performance in creating encounter and relationship satisfaction. It investigates the performance of the contact employee from an interactive perspective by specifying the employee performance into employee-specific and interaction-induced behaviors, using a multilevel approach. Our results reveal a significant influence of positive emotions on both types of satisfaction and no significant impact of negative emotions. Furthermore, our study identifies that not all of the employee behaviors that influence encounter satisfaction also influence relationship satisfaction. Additionally, results of the study demonstrate that specifying employee performance into employee-specific and interaction-induced behaviors allows a better understanding of customer encounter and relationship satisfaction.

The prognostic factors for functional recovery in elders with hip fracture

The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors that may have an impact on functional recovery in elder subjects with hip fracture. A prospective study design examined the impact of pain, negative emotions, and social support on functional outcome in a sample of 70 elderly subjects at two hospitals in a United States Midwestern metropolitan area. Data were collected at discharge and at 2 months following discharge, using the Verbal Descriptor Scale, depression and anxiety subscales on the Profile of Mood States, a modified Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, and a modified Functional Status Index. Subjects who had less pain with movement (r = 0.29, P = 0.016), less anxiety (r = 0.31, P = 0.023), greater network size (r = −0.27, P = 0.045), more instrumental support (r = –0.28, P = 0.042) achieved better functional recovery. Pain, negative emotions, social support, age and mental status explained 56% of the variance in functional outcome.

The impact of negative emotions on prognosis following myocardial infarction: is it more than depression?

This study examine the importance of major depression symptoms, history of major depression, anxiety, anger-in, anger-out, and perceived social support, measured in the hospital after a myocardial infarction (MI), in predicting cardiac events over the subsequent 12 months in a sample of 222 patients. Cardiac events included both recurrences of acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina admissions and survived and nonsurvived MI recurrences) and probable arrhythmic events (survived cardiac arrests and arrhythmic deaths). Major depression, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and history of major depression all significantly predicted cardiac events. Multivariate analyses showed that depressive symptoms, anxiety, and history of major depression each had an impact independent of each other, as well as of measures of cardiac disease severity.

The impact of negative emotions on prognosis following myocardial infarction: Is it more than depression?

The impact of negative emotions on prognosis following myocardial infarction: Is it more than depression?

Differentiating Embarrassment and Shame

Subjects sorted 56 descriptive statements into «shame» or «embarrassment» categories based on their own past experiences. Men and women agreed that shame was a more intense, enduring emotion than embarrassment, involving different responses and consequences. Whereas embarrassment resulted from surprising, relatively trivial accidents, shame occurred when foreseeable events revealed one's deep-seated flaws both to oneself and to others. Embarrassments engendered humor, smiles, and jokes, but shameful behavior caused disgust, anger, and apologies. The results argue that long-standing beliefs about the near equivalence of embarrassment and shame are unfounded