Positive Affect Research Articles

People judge others more harshly after talking to bots

Abstract People now commonly interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents. How do these interactions shape how humans perceive each other? In two pre-registered studies (total N = 1,261), we show that people evaluate other humans more harshly after interacting with an AI (compared with an unrelated purported human). In Study 1, participants who worked on a creative task with AIs (versus purported humans) subsequently rated another purported human’s work more negatively. Study 2 replicated this effect and demonstrated that the results hold even when participants believed their evaluation would not be shared with the purported human. Exploratory analyses of participants’ conversations show that prior to their human evaluations they were more demanding, more instrumental and displayed less positive affect towards AIs (versus purported humans). These findings point to a potentially worrisome side effect of the exponential rise in human-AI interactions.

Diabetes distress profiles and health outcomes of individuals with type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity: A cluster analysis

AimsTo determine the prevalence and patterns of diabetes distress, and evaluate the differences in health outcomes between profiles. MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 330 adults with T2DM and overweight/obesity. The participants completed questionnaires on diabetes distress, sleep quality, self-efficacy, depression, anxiety and positive and negative affect. A cluster analysis was performed to identify different patterns of diabetes distress and one-way ANOVA was used to investigate the differences in physical and psychological outcomes between profiles. Results30.6% of patients were identified as moderately to highly distressed, with the regimen-related distress found to be the most prominent. The Cluster analysis revealed four distinct clusters: (1) “comprehensively exhausted profile”; (2) “strained profile”; (3) “high internal anguish profile”; (4) “unperturbed profile”. The measures of fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect and self-efficacy differ between clusters. ConclusionsThis study identified important differences that existed in patterns of diabetes distress among people with T2DM and overweight/obesity, and this variation can be utilized to tailor intervention strategies to the particular needs of different subgroups within individuals with T2DM.

Teachers’ daily positive and negative affect and their relationship with teachers’ emotion regulation strategies and daily work engagement – results of a diary study among team teachers

AbstractTeam teaching as a close form of teacher collaboration entails frequent interactions between the team-teaching partners in the classroom. During these interactions, the team teachers experience a variety of positive and negative emotions, triggered by their team partner. The teachers may express or suppress these emotions, depending on their habitual use of these emotion regulation strategies. In turn, the teachers’ daily emotions may be related to an important facet of teacher well-being, namely their daily work engagement. This study aims to investigate the related factors (habitual emotion regulation, daily work engagement) of team teachers’ daily positive and negative emotions triggered by the team partner in the classroom. Forty-seven Austrian team teachers working in secondary education completed a daily diary study, consisting of 15 diary entries, measuring their habitual emotion expression and suppression strategies, their daily positive and negative affect and daily work engagement. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted. Results show that positive and negative affect and work engagement vary substantially within and between team teachers. Random-intercept fixed-slope multilevel models indicate that the habitual use of authentic display of positive emotions is associated with daily positive affect, and teachers’ daily positive and negative affect significantly relate to their daily work engagement both on the within- and between-person level. This study underscores the important role that team teachers’ emotional experiences play regarding their work engagement. We draw theoretical and practical implications for the role of emotions during team-teaching practices.

When feeling positive is being “in the zone”: How challenge optimality causes changes in positive affect and flow

Flow is a state of highly focused attention, associated with player loyalty (thus sought after among game designers). We investigate the link between positive affect (hereby PA) and flow experience. According to the literature, games should ideally induce PA in players and that this might induce higher flow in games at optimal challenge (challenge that matches the player’s skills). We, however, propose that PA and the flow state form a negative feedback loop, where PA could reduce future flow, depending on the challenge conditions. We conducted two experiments, with 144 and 338 university students as participants, respectively. The experiments showed that under the optimal challenge condition, current PA is negatively linked to future flow. Based on this, we propose that game designers should be cautious about the use of PA-inducing stimuli, as they might form a negative feedback loop with flow.

The Typology of Well-Being and Imagination on Global Organization Leaders and The Wisdom of Classical Period Philosophers

The understanding of well-being and imagination reflected from classical period philosophers to the present day is now the focus of today’s leaders and managers. In the modern management concept there is a continuous constructive and reformative process. While organizations concentrate on organizational subjects such as work/life balance, the positive culture of the organization, emotional welfare, happiness and ideal working environment, there is also a need to reach a stage of awareness for an integrated understanding and responsibility on social equality, social responsibility, ecological order and biodiversity. The aim of our research is to discover how the wisdom and teachings of classical period philosophers are reflected by today’s global organization leaders. In our research, interviews and statements of the leaders of Fortune 500 listed, global companies such as Samsung, Apple, UPS, Airbus, Amazon, Johnson& Johnson and Walmart were collected and used as secondary data. The data analysis was done using Nvivo (version 2020). The results showed that leaders of global organizations adopted the teachings on well-being and imagination of classical period philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Socrates and carried the dimensions such as leader’s well-being, imagination, hedonic approach, subjective well-being, emotional well-being (happiness), positive affection, negative affection, cognitive well-being, life satisfaction, eudaimonic approach and psychological well-being.

Temperamental Shyness, Peer Competence, and Loneliness in Middle Childhood: The Role of Positive Emotion.

Guided by the conceptual frameworks of social withdrawal (Rubin, K. H., & Chronis-Tuscano, A. (2021). Perspectives on social withdrawal in childhood: Past, present, and prospects. Child Development Perspectives, 15(3), 160-167.) and emotion socialization (Eisenberg, N., Cumberland, A., & Spinrad, T. L. (1998). Parental socialization of emotion. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 241-273.; Morris, (A) S., Criss, M. M., Silk, J. S., & Houltberg, (B) J. (2017). The impact of parenting on emotion regulation during childhood and adolescence. Child Development Perspectives, 11(4), 233-238.), the current study examined multifaceted relations among temperamental shyness, peer competence, and loneliness and focused on the role of socializing and expressing positive emotion in middle childhood. Participants included 1,364 families, among whom mothers reported children's temperament when children were 4.5 years old. Mothers and alternative caregivers (usually fathers) independently rated family expressiveness when children were 8-9 years old. Mothers rated their children's peer competence, and children's positive affect with peers were observed when children were ages 8-9 and 10-11. Children self-rated their loneliness levels at ages 10-11. A path model revealed a moderated mediation effect, such that family positive expressiveness moderated the sequential mediation pathway from child temperamental shyness through child peer competence at ages 8-9 and positive affect with peers at ages 10-11 to loneliness at ages 10-11. This sequential mediation was significant only under low but not high levels of family positive expressiveness. Findings support the importance of socializing positive emotion in the context of temperamental shyness and have implications for family-based intervention strategies aimed at children exhibiting high temperamental shyness.

Heterogeneity in momentary affective experiences related to suicidal urges in a non-clinical sample of adult handgun owners and non-owners recruited from the community

Although suicide is complex and heterogeneous, most suicide theories assume that suicidal urges occur primarily in the context of extreme emotional distress. Newer models of suicide based on complex systems theory propose greater heterogeneity in suicidal experiences across individuals and groups, such that some, but not all, suicidal thoughts, urges, and behaviors are associated with extreme negative affect. The present study investigated individual differences in affective states experienced during suicidal urges among 138 adults recruited from the community; 81 (59.1 %) owned handguns and 57 (41.6 %) did not. Participants self-reported their current affect and urge to kill themselves 6 times per day for 28 consecutive days via ecological momentary assessment. Positive and negative affect ratings varied significantly during suicidal urges. The association of positive and negative affect with suicidal urges significantly varied within and between handgun owners and non-owners. Results suggest suicidal urges are characterized by high affective heterogeneity.

What do clients think about amplifying positivity? Client change perspectives following a cognitive and behavioural positive activity intervention for anxiety and depression

AbstractBackgroundThe positive valence system (PVS) is increasingly recognised as an important target in facilitating recovery from anxiety and depression. Amplification of positivity (AMP), a cognitive and behavioural intervention, targets the PVS through repeated and intentional activities (e.g. savouring positive experiences, gratitude and acts of kindness). Initial data demonstrate that AMP engages positive valence targets (e.g. positive affect) and outcomes (e.g. social connectedness) in people seeking treatment for anxiety or depression; however, client perspectives on AMP are not well understood. This study aimed to qualitatively explore clients' experiences to better understand post‐treatment client changes and advance the development and effectiveness of AMP and other emerging positive valence‐focussed interventions.MethodsTranscripts were analysed from 11 participants who completed an optional qualitative interview after completing AMP treatment in a randomised controlled trial (NCT04945239).ResultsTwo superordinate themes with several subthemes emerged. The first theme, Changes in Self, revealed common changes consistent with the core targets of AMP, as well as changes less explicitly targeted by AMP. The second theme, The Positivity Pivot, uncovered clients' perceptions on the emphasis of positive emotions in treatment. Overall, clients enjoyed and reaped benefits from amplifying positivity; some clients also reported wanting more time and space to discuss negative valence symptoms.ConclusionPeople seeking treatment for anxiety or depression are receptive to amplifying positivity and experience the mental and social benefits of doing so. Positive valence‐centred treatments may therefore be valuable for some clients. Treatment protocols that integrate positive valence‐ and negative valence‐targeted approaches may be preferred by some clients.

Psychophysical changes after total sleep deprivation and experimental muscle pain.

Sleep disturbances exacerbate chronic pain, increase psychological load, and increase inflammation. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) mimics aspects of chronic pain, predominantly affecting peripheral pain mechanisms, while experimental sleep provocations have been shown to impact central pain mechanisms. This study aimed to combine a DOMS model with total sleep deprivation (TSD) to create a novel model affecting both peripheral and central pain mechanisms. A total of 30 healthy participants attended two sessions (baseline and follow-up) separated by 24 h of TSD and a home rating after 48 h. Assessments of interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels, sleep quality, pain catastrophising, affect, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were included in the baseline and follow-up sessions. Additionally, pressure pain and tolerance thresholds, temporal summation, and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) were assessed using cuff-pressure algometry in the baseline and follow-up sessions. DOMS was induced with eccentric calf raises during the baseline session followed by 24 h of TSD. At follow-up pain tolerance (p = 0.012) was significantly reduced, and CPM (p = 0.036) was significantly impaired compared to baseline. Psychological changes included decreases in pain catastrophising (p = 0.027), positive affect (p < 0.001), negative affect (p = 0.003), and anxiety (p = 0.012). Explorative regression models predicted 58% and 68% of DOMS pain intensity after 24 and 48 h, respectively, based on baseline body mass index, pain thresholds, psychological measures, and IL-6 (p < 0.01). Combining DOMS with 1 night of TSD induced pain hypersensitivity, impaired CPM, and altered psychological states. A combination of baseline inflammation, psychological measures, and pain sensitivity significantly predicted DOMS pain intensity after 24 and 48 h.

Assessing social anhedonia in a transdiagnostic sample: Insights from a computational psychiatry lens.

Anhedonia, a reduced ability to experience positive affect and seek rewards, is present across many psychiatric disorders, notably among individuals who experienced trauma. Within the social domain, anhedonia manifests as an altered sense of belonging and social isolation and is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Yet, mechanistic operationalizations of social anhedonia are lacking, limiting our understanding of the relationship between these mechanisms and affective symptoms. To address these questions, we developed a social reward exploration task which was administered to a transdiagnostic sample of trauma-exposed Veterans (N = 33) while they underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. The goal was to maximize compliments from two unknown partners, as participants were told these partners selected compliments based on seeing their picture. A Bayesian reinforcement learning modeling approach was used to extract cognitive and neural markers of compliment (reward) exploration. To address these questions, we developed a social reward exploration task which was administered to a transdiagnostic sample of trauma-exposed Veterans (N = 33) while they underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. The goal was to maximize compliments from two unknown partners, as participants were told these partners selected compliments based on seeing their picture. A Bayesian reinforcement learning modeling approach was used to extract cognitive and neural markers of compliment (reward) exploration. Higher social connectedness (β = 0.51; 95 % CI=[0.11,0.94]) and anxiety (β = 0.57; 95 % CI=[0.13,1.00]) were independently associated with more model-based choices of the partner they anticipated to be most complimenting. In the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; z = 3.89, p .001) and left inferior parietal lobule (z = 3.96, p .001), neural responses to reward prediction errors (RPE) were more positive in response to compliment relative to non-compliment outcomes. Greater positive RPE ACC activation was associated with lower anxiety (β = −0.51; 95 % CI=[−0.99,−0.10]. Computational approaches to social reinforcement learning can help identify important neurocognitive differences in social reward sensitivity among individuals with complex affective profiles, such as trauma-exposed individuals. Understanding these differences may help develop new prediction and treatment tools for social anhedonia.

Positive affect and reward processing in the treatment of depression, anxiety and trauma

Positive affect and reward processing in the treatment of depression, anxiety and trauma

Affective Responsivity to Daily Stressors is Amplified in Young Females

Despite mounting evidence that young adults experience greater exposure and affective responsivity to daily stressors than middle-aged and older adults, few studies have examined potential sex differences in these daily stress processes in young adults. We tested the hypotheses that young women would experience (1) a greater percentage of days with at least one daily stressor event and (2) exaggerated negative and positive affective responsivity to daily stressors compared to young men. Young adults ( n = 215) completed a daily web-based interview for eight consecutive days to assess multiple dynamic aspects of daily stress processes. Women experienced a greater frequency of daily stressor days. Further, the magnitude of the difference in both negative and positive affect between stressor-free and stressor days were greater in young women compared to young men. Greater exposure and amplified affective responsivity to daily stressors may potentially contribute to increased susceptibility to adverse psychological outcomes in young women.

Positive Humor/Affection and Age Advantages in Affective Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of people worldwide. However, even in times of prolonged exposure to extreme and new realities such as this pandemic, people are also able to experience positive emotions. To understand how people’s emotional responses have changed over the course of the pandemic and what helps people to be positively engaged in perceiving negative situations as an opportunity to experience positive emotions, we conducted a three-wave longitudinal study in Spain. A total of 396 participants (Mage = 40.11, SD 12.66, 74% women) completed three waves of a web-based survey during the lockdown. Descriptive and correlational analyses, a repeated measures General Lineal Model, and 4 mixed effects models with a random effect on individuals were conducted to test hypotheses. Growth models revealed that positive and negative affect increased over time. Older people show more positive and less negative affectivity. Positive humor and affection coping strategies bolster positive emotions and buffer negative emotions over time in older participants. Older people who use more positive humor and affection experienced more positive emotions and decreased their levels of negative emotions over time. The different trajectories in positive and negative affect suggest age benefits in emotional regulation and a positive effect in older ages during the lockdown. Positive psychological interventions that boost a person’s coping repertoire by helping them increase the experience of positive emotions may hold great promise aiding people to bolster their mental health in highly stressful and unexpected future crises

Characterizing within-person variance in, and menstrual cycle associations with, event-related potentials associated with positive and negative valence systems: The reward positivity and the error-related negativity

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are widely employed as measures of transdiagnostic cognitive processes that are thought to underlie various clinical disorders (Hajcak et al., 2019). Despite their prevalent use as individual difference measures, the effects of within-person processes, such as the human menstrual cycle, on a broad range of ERPs are poorly understood. The present study leveraged a within-subject design to characterize between- and within-person variance in ERPs as well as effects of the menstrual cycle in two frequently studied ERPs associated with positive and negative valence systems underlying psychopathology—the Reward Positivity (RewP) and the Error- Related Negativity (ERN). Seventy-one naturally-cycling participants completed repeated EEG and ecological momentary assessments of positive and negative affect in the menstrual cycle's early follicular, periovulatory, and mid-luteal phases. We examined the mean degree of change between cycle phases in both ERPs, the between-person variability in the degree of change in both ERPs, and whether an individual’s degree of cyclical change in these ERPs show coherence with their degree of cyclical change in positive and negative affect recorded across the cycle. Results revealed no significant changes in positive and negative affect across the cycle and rather small changes in ERP amplitudes. Significant random slopes in our model revealed larger individual differences in trajectories of change in ERP amplitudes and affect, in agreement with prior evidence of heterogeneity in dimensional hormone sensitivity. Additionally, state-variance in these ERPs correlated with positive and negative affect changes across the cycle, suggesting that cycle-mediated ERP changes may have relevance for affect and behavior. Finally, exploratory latent class growth mixture modeling revealed subgroups of individuals that display disparate patterns of change in ERPs that should be further investigated.

Affective states and a firm’s performance: the mediating role of dynamic managerial capabilities

PurposeExtant research supports the importance of dynamic managerial capabilities in capturing managers’ individual roles in organisations’ adjustments to change. This paper develops a multidimensional scale for measuring dynamic managerial capabilities consisting of sensing, seizing and reconfiguration capacities that mediate between managers’ affective states and their firms’ performance.Design/methodology/approachThe scale is validated in a survey-based study among 204 managers in companies in the United States of America (USA). We applied a multiple regression model (a triple mediation) using each of DMCs’ three dimensions to test the effects of managers’ affective states on their firms’ performance.FindingsThe multidimensional construct of DMCs adds about 15 % of variance explained to a firm’s performance, as perceived by its managers. So managers’ affective states do have an impact on DMCs and, later, on their firms’ performance.Research limitations/implicationsWe show the impact of negative and positive affect on DMCs. We also show that DMCs’ three dimensions should be treated in a formative manner that advances discussion on DMCs and their role in a firm’s performance.Practical implicationsUnderstanding managers’ affective states helps incorporate “hot cognition” into firms’ strategising processes. Although both positive and negative emotions can be helpful, depending on the situation, positive affect is generally more valuable than negative affect as it relates to a firm’s performance.Originality/valueOur work proposes measuring DMCs based on Teece’s (2007) disaggregation of DMCs into sensing, seizing and reconfiguration capacities. We approach each of these dimensions separately and show that managers’ affective states influence each dimension differently.

Make or Break: The Influence of Expected Challenges and Rewards on the Motivation and Experience Associated with Cognitive Effort Exertion.

Challenging goals can induce harder work but also greater stress, in turn potentially undermining goal achievement. We sought to examine how mental effort and subjective experiences thereof interact as a function of the challenge level and the size of the incentives at stake. Participants performed a task that rewarded individual units of effort investment (correctly performed Stroop trials) but only if they met a threshold number of correct trials within a fixed time interval (challenge level). We varied this challenge level (Study 1, n = 40) and the rewards at stake (Study 2, n = 79) and measured variability in task performance and self-reported affect across task intervals. Greater challenge and higher rewards facilitated greater effort investment but also induced greater stress, whereas higher rewards (and lower challenge) simultaneously induced greater positive affect. Within intervals, we observed an initial speed up then slowdown in performance, which could reflect dynamic reconfiguration of control. Collectively, these findings further our understanding of the influence of task demands and incentives on mental effort exertion and well-being.

Understanding change from the patient perspective in a transdiagnostic Internet-based intervention for emotional disorders: a qualitative content analysis

ABSTRACT Qualitative investigations that openly explore changes and facilitators of changes from the patient’s perspective might offer valuable insights on impacts of therapy and helpful and hindering aspects. Our aim for this study was to explore the perspective of patients on a transdiagnostic Internet-based intervention to understand (1) which changes (positive as well as negative effects) responders and non-responders experienced, and (2) which aspects of the intervention they found helpful or hindering in facilitating those changes. We interviewed 21 patients that showed response or non-response to treatment using the Change Interview Schedule following a 10-week Internet-based intervention based on the Unified Protocol. Interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Both responders and non-responders reported positive changes, with few negative changes mentioned. Across both groups, increased positive affect was reported most frequently (81%). Both groups reported helpful factors, with guidance mentioned most frequently across both responders and non-responders (85.7%). Mainly, aspects of the specific framework were perceived as hindering (e.g. lack of personalization) (66.7%). Overall, patients reported mostly positive impacts, even if they did not respond to treatment. Results highlighted that what patients find helpful or hindering is individual.

Validation of the German Purpose in Life Questionnaire (PLQ) in a healthy population and patients with cardiovascular disease

In this cross-sectional study, a German translation of the subscale “Purpose in Life” (PLQ) from the Scales of Psychological Well-being (SPWB) was validated in a representative sample of participants from healthy and cardiovascular populations. The main objectives were to assess the reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity using a large and representative sample (N = 466 healthy sample, N = 247 patients with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), N = 70 patients with a cardiovascular disease (CVD)).The findings indicated that the German PLQ is a reliable and valid measure of positive psychological well-being, showing a positive correlation with health-related quality of life, optimism, and positive affect. In turn, the PLQ score was significantly and negatively correlated with depressive symptom severity, anxiety, pessimism, and negative affect, while being distinct from these constructs. The comparability of the measurement properties of the German PLQ with the original English version further supports the validity of the translation. Additionally, the unidimensional structure of the German version mirrored that of the English PLQ.As this study used a large and representative sample, it provides the most up-to-date normative population value for the subscale of the SPWB. Moreover, this study represents the first known exploration of the questionnaire in a cardiovascular sample, revealing relationships between health-related quality of life, optimism, positive affect, and the German PLQ. However, in patients with ICD, the positive correlation between the PLQ and the physical component of the SF-12 did not reach significance. Despite these valuable findings, future research to enhance the understanding of the PLQ and its implications is warranted.

B - 69 Exploring Gratitude: its Associations with Executive Function and Mental Health in College Undergraduates

Abstract Objective Strength-related traits, particularly gratitude, have received little attention in the literature on the psychological and cognitive well-being of undergraduate students. This study examined whether dispositional gratitude predicts both objective and perceived executive functions, and reconsidered other known predictors such as mood, gender, and positive affect in a diverse sample of 270 undergraduate students. Method The students completed self-report mood and executive skill measures, then participated in the computerized version of the Trails Making Test, parts A and B. Students with prior brain injury, Dx of ADHD, or learning disability were excluded. Correlations, T-tests, and ANOVAs were used to analyze data. Results Gratitude was negatively correlated with depression (r = −0.492), anxiety (r = −0.377), and stress (r = −0.260). Conversely, it was positively correlated with positive affect (r = 0.503), all statistically significant at p &amp;lt; 0.001. Additionally, students with higher levels of gratitude self-reported higher executive functioning skills, such as planning and emotional regulation, representing small sized effects. However, there was no significant relationship between gratitude and objective performance on a task of cognitive flexibility, nor were there differences in gratitude scores between male and female participants. Eighty-six percent of students who identified as Asian were in the lower level of gratitude group. Conclusion These findings support prior research suggesting that gratitude has a stronger influence on boosting mood and positive emotions, rather than on higher-order executive skills, such as cognitive flexibility. The study also highlights cultural considerations of gratitude interventions, taking into account differences found between ethnic groups.

Enhancing College Students’ Well-Being through an Online Mindfulness Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Background Mental health challenges continue to be on the rise with college students. The COVID-19 pandemic further accentuated these challenges. Thus, consideration could be given to exploring various strategies to support the well-being of students. Purpose This study examined the effects of an online mindfulness intervention in an academic course measuring the well-being in a two-group pretest and posttest study design. Methods Participants included (N = 40) undergraduate students ages 18–23. The experimental group consisted of participants in an online health course with a mindfulness component. The control group enrolled in an identical health course without a mindfulness component. Results The results indicated greater statistically significant increases in the experimental group’s well-being, mindfulness and positive affect, as well as a decrease in negative affect compared to the control group. Discussion This study offers insight into the potential effectiveness of online mindfulness interventions embedded in academic courses for benefiting students’ well-being. This is especially relevant as it was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic when focus on well-being was paramount. Translation to Health Education Practice Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) play an important role in enhancing well-being in the college student population through the needs assessment, implementation, evaluation, research and usage of findings.