Intense Positive Emotions Research Articles

Older people in the world of esport: a qualitative study.

The inclusion of older players in the gaming world is growing rapidly, leading to the emergence of specific categories for them at major esport events. The aim of this study is to analyze the psychological issues faced by older people when engaging with the competitive context of esport. The study was conducted in 2021 within the French association Silver Geek, which offers digital workshops using Nintendo Wii consoles to older people living in retirement homes and organizes annual amateur competitions between teams of older adults. This qualitative study involved 16 participants (eight women, eight men) aged 63 to 97 years. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the motivations, emotional well-being, and social impact of esport on older people. The results show that older people who participate in esport are motivated by the discovery and mastery of new game skills, as well as the pleasure of performance through social comparison. All experience a psychological well-being that translates into intense positive emotions. Moreover, the esport context, whether during the pre-competition workshops or the competitions themselves, proved to be a strong vector for positive social relationships, especially with the young e-sports coaches. However, this activity had little impact on existing family relationships. This study highlights the potential of esport as a recreational activity to promote mental health and social integration in older adults. The challenge for future research is to identify the levers that will enable this activity to become a true medium for intergenerational communication.

The association between interoception and olfactory affective responses

Odors are known to affect an individual’s emotions and physiological states. Recent research has revealed that olfaction is linked to the mental representation of internal sensations, known as interoception. However, little research has examined how interoception relates to emotional responses to odors. This research aimed to fill this gap in the literature. We conducted two studies with a total of 548 Japanese women (n = 500 and n = 48 in Studies 1 and 2, respectively). Study 1 used an online survey to assess the relationship between self-reported interoceptive traits and the intensity of positive emotions in response to daily odors. Study 2 examined how self-reported interoceptive traits modulated the arousal ratings of odors presented in the laboratory and the concordance between these perceived arousal ratings and odor-evoked physiological responses. Study 1 confirmed that self-reported interoceptive traits were significant predictors of positive emotional intensity of odors. In Study 2, individuals with high interoceptive measure scores showed concordance between their perceived emotional arousal and the physiological responses associated with that emotion, whereas individuals with low scores did not. These findings suggest that how people perceive their internal sensations contributes to shaping their olfactory affective experiences, thereby broadening the scope of interoception research and aromachology. The practical implications of these findings for the development of commercial fragrances are discussed.

The third quarter phenomenon revisited: The case of analog space habitat

The current study aimed to explore the potential occurrence of the third-quarter phenomenon among analog space mission participants. While the phenomenon is quite often referenced in the literature, many findings are anecdotal or have methodological limitations. To address them, we conducted our study in a standardized environment of the LunAres Research Station in Piła, Poland. We collected data from 88 analog astronauts participating in sixteen two-week missions. We examined the third-quarter phenomenon, focusing on positive and negative emotions, overall emotional positivity, and task performance. We observed a distinct decrease in emotional positivity on the sixth day of the mission, with the lowest intensity of positive emotions and the highest intensity of negative emotions. Though fluctuating, task performance improved throughout the missions, with no third-quarter phenomenon pattern. We concluded that our study does not support the third-quarter phenomenon and suggests that negative emotions and outcomes might occur during different mission periods. Hence, the possibility of such variations in the analog astronauts’ emotions and activities should be considered when training future astronauts in the analog space missions.

Effect of information on mothers’ sensory and emotional profiling of insect-based porridges in Kenya

Due to their nutritional value, insects are increasingly proposed as alternative food sources to address nutritional deficiencies. To better understand their potential for young children, this study aims to compare four insect-based instant porridges (termites and grasshoppers) and a standard ’control’ instant porridge to examine how information about the health benefits and composition of the insect-based porridges impacts sensory perceptions and evoked emotions. A between-subjects design was set up using 337 mothers with children aged 6–23 months in western Kenya, randomly assigned to a control and informed condition. This study found that information had a negative significant effect on the liking of flavour and mouthfeel of insect-based instant porridges, but no significant effect on overall liking and the liking of the aroma. However, information had a positive significant effect on participants appreciation of sensory attributes such as adhesiveness, nutty mouthfeel and thickness of insect-based instant porridges. Regarding the effect of information on sensory evaluation, differences were reported depending on the type of porridge. Those informed mainly criticised the fishy aroma and fishy flavour in the porridges. In addition, the provision of information had a limited, albeit negative, influence on the emotions evoked by some types of instant porridge. The participants associated positive emotions with the porridges after tasting but the intensity of several positive emotions was lower in the informed group.

Differences in Emotional Preferences toward Urban Green Spaces among Various Cultural Groups in Macau and Their Influencing Factors

This study explores the diversity in emotional tendencies and needs toward urban green spaces (UGSs) among people from different cultural backgrounds in the wave of cultural integration. We utilized social media data as research tools, gathering a wide range of perspectives and voices. Utilizing geolocation data from 176 UGSs in Macau, we collected 139,162 social media comments to analyze the emotional perceptions of different cultural groups. Furthermore, we conducted regression analysis on the number of posts and emotional intensity values from four linguistic groups—Chinese, English, Southeast Asian languages, and Portuguese—in UGSs, correlating them with ten locally relevant landscape features. Our findings reveal diverse attitudes, emotional inclinations, and functional and design needs of different linguistic groups toward UGSs, as follows: (1) there were significant differences in emotional intensity and tweet counts across 176 UGSs; (2) Chinese and Portuguese speakers showed a more positive attitude toward plazas and natural ecological areas, whereas English- and Southeast-Asian-language speakers tended to favor recreational areas and suburban parks; (3) Chinese speakers exhibited a more positive emotional intensity toward sports facilities, while English speakers placed more emphasis on green space areas, architecture, sports infrastructure, and plant landscapes; (4) there was no specific landscape feature preference for Portuguese- and Southeast-Asian-language speakers. This research not only deepens our understanding of the emotional perceptions and preferences of UGSs among different cultural groups but also explores the association between these groups and various urban landscape features. This provides important theoretical and practical insights for future UGS planning, construction, and promoting multicultural coexistence for sustainable urban development.

Why Being Social and Active Boosts Psychological Wellbeing: A Mediating Role of Momentary Positive Emotions

Social interactions and active activities are key to psychological wellbeing, but how do these activities improve wellbeing? Building on work showing that positive emotional experiences help build psychological resources, we test the prediction that momentary positive emotional experiences mediate the relationships between social interactions, active activities, and wellbeing. In a pre-registered experience sampling study, 106 participants reported their wellbeing, momentary emotional experiences, and activities linked to intense emotions five times per day for 15 days (7,110 observations). Participants reported experiencing more intense positive emotions when interacting with others (especially face-to-face), and when engaged in active (versus passive) activities. As predicted, positive emotional experiences partially mediated the positive relationships between social interactions and wellbeing, and between active activities and wellbeing (explaining 25% and 12% of variance, respectively). These findings show that intense emotional experiences can be elicited by social and active activities, helping explain how these activities aid our psychological wellbeing.

Characterizing the dimensions of positive emotion functioning in young adult alcohol use and alcohol-related problems

Emotional functioning figures prominently in most contemporary models of alcohol use (Kassel & Veilleux, 2010). These models posit that alcohol use becomes reinforced due to its ability to regulate a person’s affect (Sher & Grekin, 2007). A growing body of literature suggests that for youth, positive reinforcement (i.e., using alcohol to enhance positive feelings or to increase their duration) is a leading mechanism facilitating increased use (Emery & Simons 2020; Howard et al., 2015). However, few, if any, studies have examined the unique associations between multiple indicators of positive emotional functioning and alcohol use as well as alcohol-related problems. We aimed to fill this gap by using secondary data from large college student sample (N = 402) to characterize the unique associations between trait indicators of positive emotional functioning (i.e., positive affect, anhedonia, savoring, positive emotion dysregulation) and alcohol use as well as alcohol-related problems. Results indicated trait positive emotion dysregulation (difficulty managing intense positive emotions) was positively related to both alcohol consumption (IRR = 1.03, p =.019) and alcohol-related problems (IRR = 1.03, p =.001). Interestingly, trait savoring (i.e., ability to increase the intensity/duration of positive emotions) was positively related to alcohol consumption (IRR = 1.18, p =.049) and inversely related to problems (IRR = 0.86, p =.019). None of the other positive emotion indicators were significantly associated with either alcohol use or problems.

Effect of Weekly Time Spent Learning and Practicing Musical Instruments on the Intensity of Jitteriness among High School Teenagers in Mainland China

Psychological disorders have become increasingly prevalent [Liang, 2021]. Among 875 cases, 33.03% of high school students in Mainland China possess some psychological problems [Liang, 2021]. Research has shown that successful musical engagement positively affects physical, social, educational, cognitive, and emotional health [Wang (2022).]. Unfortunately, Chinese teenagers aren't thoroughly studied the connection between musical training and mental health [Pang et al. (2017)]. Also, no statistically significant association between music playing and psychological well-being is seen in previous research [Wesseldijk et al. (2019)]. So, this study investigates how time spent practicing musical instruments influences the intensity of jitteriness among high school teenagers (15~18 years old) to provide insights about mental health-directed musical education in mainland China. A web-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience and snowball sample of 200 teenagers from mainland China across 11 provinces. Models were conducted hierarchically using linear regression. In the univariate model, time spent practicing musical instruments weekly was associated negatively with the intensity of jitteriness (β=-0.151, p-value=0.033). In the multivariant model, participants' time spent practicing musical instruments per week was significantly and negatively associated with the intensity of jitteriness (β=-0.312, p-value=0.001), adjusted for confounding variables: total time spent on playing musical instruments, positive emotion intensity, negative emotion intensity (other than jittery), and age. The model was built using simple linear regression with r2=0.267. This study shows a significant negative association between weekly time spent practicing musical instruments and the intensity of negative emotions.

Path of integration of psychological education and ideological education in colleges and universities for the cultivation of college students’ emotional regulation ability in the background of the Internet

Abstract In this paper, based on the machine learning algorithm of psychological education and civic education research, the decision tree algorithm and gradient enhancement tree are used, and then construct the crisis early warning model of the integration of civic education and psychological education teaching are constructed. According to the requirements of psychological education and ideological education in colleges and universities for the cultivation of students’ college students’ emotional regulation ability, the model can be divided into four layers for research. Combining the research objectives and hypotheses, the research on the path of integrating the teaching of college psychology and Civics with machine learning is designed. The questionnaire is designed and distributed to obtain research data, and statistical analysis is used to empirically analyze the integrated teaching of college psychology and Civic and Political education in the context of the Internet. The results show that in the model analysis, after suffering from positive stimuli at the moment of t=3, the intensity of positive emotions gradually increased, and the intensity of negative emotions gradually decreased, and the model accurately reflected the emotional changes of college students when suffering from stressful events. On the statistical analysis of the teaching path, the correlation coefficients were 0.948, 0.935, 0.942, 0.905, and 0.827, and the strongest correlation was found between the sense of acquisition of Civic and Political knowledge and the sense of acquisition of integrated teaching of Psychological Education and Civic and Political Education. This study gives full play to the maximum value of the infiltration of the contents of Civic and Political Education and Psychological Education, which is of great significance to the cultivation of college students’ emotional regulation ability.

Abstract 17222: Warriors Takotsubo Syndrome

Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy or "broken heart syndrome," is characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction, typically triggered by negative emotions or physical stressors. It presents with symptoms similar to acute coronary syndrome, but with no associated coronary artery stenosis. “Happy Takotsubo” syndrome, triggered by intense positive emotions, is an uncommon variant and presents a unique challenge in clinical diagnosis. Case Presentation: An 86-year-old woman who was an avid Golden State Warriors fan developed sudden-onset pressure-like chest pain following intense excitement over the Golden State Warriors winning a critical basketball game. In the emergency department, the patient was found to have a high sensitivity troponin greater than 4,000 and ST elevations in leads V3 to V6, meeting STEMI criteria. Emergent cardiac catheterization revealed no coronary artery stenosis. Echocardiography was significant for apical ballooning of the left ventricle, consistent with TTS (Figure 1). Symptoms resolved following low-dose beta-blocker therapy, and the patient was discharged after 24 hours of observation. Repeat echocardiography eleven days later demonstrated near-resolution of the apical ballooning (Figure 2). Discussion: This case highlights "happy Takotsubo" syndrome as a unique presentation of TTS triggered by intense positive emotions. In this case, the patient developed TTS after experiencing excitement over a Golden State Warriors victory. By sharing this case, we aim to contribute to the existing literature and enhance knowledge about this uncommon presentation.

How much is a chef's touch worth? Affective, emotional and behavioural responses to food images: A multimodal study.

Food aesthetics influences affective dimensions (valence and arousal) and subsequent emotional and behavioural responses in images presented in more traditional form, almost rustic in some cases, to the signature dishes of haute cuisine. However, the visual impact of images of haute cuisine dishes on consumers' affective and emotional responses compared to traditional dishes is still understudied. We recorded electrodermal activity, ocular movements and self-report affect of 35 volunteers while they performed a picture viewing paradigm using images of haute cuisine food, traditional food, and non-food. Additionally, the moderating role of age was examined. Our results showed that subjects had higher feelings of pleasure and arousal toward images of food (haute cuisine and traditional dishes) compared to non-food images. However, no difference in self-report affect, physiological and behavioural responses was found between haute cuisine and traditional dishes. Interestingly, a moderating effect of age was revealed, reporting that younger participants had greater feelings of pleasure and shorter eye-to-screen distance towards traditional food than haute cuisine. As a whole, our findings suggest that food aesthetics could at least partially affect consumers' affective and emotional responses. Interestingly, physiological responses to food pictures seemed to be relatively independent of approach/avoidance motivational states, supporting the assumption that traditional visual restaurant menus with attractive images might be insufficient for eliciting intense positive emotions. This study also contributes to advancing the understanding of the role that age plays in emotional impact when images of haute cuisine dishes are presented to consumers.

Developmental dynamics of positive and negative emotion in infancy.

The dynamic features of emotion-intensity, speed of response, rise time, persistence, recovery-are important to emotion development, but there remains limited understanding of early developmental changes in these dynamics and how they are organized. In this exploratory study, 58 White infants were observed at ages 6, 9, and 12 months in four social episodes designed to elicit positive emotion (two games with mother) and negative emotion (stranger approach and separation from mother). Continuous time-sampled ratings and summary assessments of facial and vocal responding yielded measures of onset intensity, peak intensity, onset latency, time to peak intensity, rise time, persistence, and recovery for each episode and expressive modality. Central findings indicated significant developmental increases in the intensity and speed of response for positive and negative episodes, but across age and expressive modality the organization of positive and negative responses differed consistently. Specifically, responses to negative emotion episodes reflected characteristics of a preemptory response to perceived threat (e.g., intensity positively correlated with persistence), while intense positive emotion involved quicker onset and longer rise time, consistent with establishing and maintaining social engagement. Implications of these findings and directions for further study are outlined. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and Validation of the Workplace Affective Events Survey.

Background Work, a central aspect of human life, serves vital economic and social functions. There is a burgeoning interest in positive emotions in the workplace, which can enhance creativity, foster social connections, and improve problem-solving abilities. These emotions are pivotal in key organizational outcomes, including employee performance and health. Despite the extensive examination of factors like job satisfaction and workplace stressors, a knowledge gap exists regarding the everyday workplace events that influence emotions and their contribution to overall workplace emotional health.The present study introduces the Workplace Affective Events Survey (WAES), a new tool that can facilitate the advancement of research in this field. Purpose This study aimed to develop a tool to assess daily workplace events that lead to positive or negative emotional responses and the intensities of such responses. The study also examined the relationship between theseevents and the associated affect-intensities with trait affect, and social companionship at work for convergent validation. Methodology The tool development entailed a multi-phase approach which encompassed item generation, content validation, pre-pilot trials, and pilot testing of the WAES. Participants were entry and mid-level service sector employees aged 25-55 years. Themes generated using focus group discussions and one-to-one interviews were mapped against a known taxonomy of workplace affective events. Expert validation and pre-pilot trials helped inrefining the final items. The main phase engaged 300 individuals from nine service industries across 29 organizations in an urban metropolitan city in India. WAES was administered alongside standardized measures of trait-affect and workplace social companionship. Results WAES subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability. Participants reported positive daily affective events more often than negative ones, with the average intensity of positive emotions surpassing that of negative emotions. Notably, trait affect scores and social companionship exhibited significant correlations with daily affectiveevents and their intensity. Conclusions The WAES offers a novel tool to investigate daily emotional experiences in the workplace. The data suggest that a within-person disposition such as trait-affect might play a lesser role in generating positive affective events than contextual factors.These findings underscore the value of creating work environments that consistently nurture positive emotional experiences.

How do Girls and Boys Feel Emotions? Gender Differences in Physical Education in Primary School

Abstract The main objective of the study was to analyze the emotional intensity experienced by school-age boys and girls when participating in traditional sports games. A total of 152 students from two primary schools participated. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied to verify the distribution of the data, followed by Student’s parametric t-test for independent samples and Levene’s test for homogeneity of variance. Girls registered more intense positive emotions in games of lower decisional complexity (oppositional, cooperative, and individual games) and in non-competitive games compared to boys, who experienced positive emotions with greater intensity in cooperative-oppositional games and competitive games. Reducing sports stereotypes is necessary if the meaningful outcome of physical education is to promote shared emotional and relational well-being among all students. Therefore, traditional sports games can be an excellent tool for creating a positive impact on students’ social and emotional learning, as interpersonal relationships are key to the development of the game.

Mentalization, Oxytocin, and Cortisol in the General Population.

Although evidence suggests the role of oxytocin and cortisol in social cognition and emotion regulation, it is less known how their peripheral levels are related to social perception (biological motion detection) and mentalization (self-reflection, emotional awareness, and affect regulation) in the general population. We assessed 150 healthy individuals from the general community on a mentalization questionnaire, a scale measuring the intensity of positive and negative emotions, and measured oxytocin and cortisol levels in the saliva. Oxytocin but not cortisol level and biological motion detection predicted mentalization abilities. There was a positive correlation between mentalization and positive emotions and between mentalization and biological motion detection. These results suggest that oxytocin, but not cortisol, plays a role in low-level perceptual and self-reflective aspects of social cognition.

Psychometric Properties of the Polish Version of the Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale

The Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS) is a 30-item self-report questionnaire that assesses the ease of activation, intensity, and duration of negative and positive emotions. Our study aimed to introduce and validate the Polish version of the PERS. The study was performed on a sample of 491 people (349 females and 142 males) aged 18–84 (M = 24.78, SD = 10.96). The factor structure was verified with confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed based on the relationship between the PERS and markers of anxiety, depression, and stress. For assessing criterion validity, we conducted a set of multiple regression analyses to examine whether PERS scores could predict significant variance in these mental health symptoms. We examined discriminant validity by conducting a second-order exploratory factor analysis of PERS scores and anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. Our results indicated strong factorial validity, conforming to the intended 6-factor (subscale) structure. As expected, all PERS subscales correlated in expected directions with markers of anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. The PERS showed good discriminant validity in terms of measuring an emotional reactivity construct across positive and negative emotions that was separable from people’s current level of distress. Internal consistency reliability was also good. Overall, the Polish version of the PERS appears to have good psychometric properties as a comprehensive measure of emotional reactivity.

Perceived Intense Emotions and Their Influence on Cultural Identification Processes: A Mixed-Method Study of a Classical Music Festival

Music festivals are meant to create a unique experience for those who attend them, and this occurs through multiple phenomena. Among these phenomena are various cultural identification processes, which may be directly connected to festivalgoers’ emotions. In this scope, the main aim of this research is to understand how music festivals trigger, shape, reinforce and influence cultural identification processes and how these processes relate to the emotions felt by festivalgoers. In order to attain this aim, we present the academic state of the art in terms of models for evaluating intangible impacts and emotions in different settings. We then propose a model and a mixed-method approach for analysing such impacts on music festival experiences. This model is based on attendees’ perception of cultural impacts and music emotions during these experiences. Finally, we apply these different methodological approaches to the study of a classical music festival experience. We then draw conclusions about the relationship between festivalgoers’ emotions and identification processes. Specifically, there is a clear relationship between intense positive emotions and regional identification processes, cultural skills development and growth in music listening, where the festival experience encourages attendees to add new music to their musical preferences.

Savoring, worry, and positive emotion duration in generalized anxiety disorder: Assessment and interventional experiment

BackgroundIntentional attempts to savor positive emotions may be infrequent in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) due to avoidance of emotional contrasts. Yet purposeful enjoyment may help reduce worry and increase wellbeing in GAD. We sought to explore 1) the frequency, intensity, and duration of positive emotions from savoring in GAD and 2) its effect on pre-existing worry. MethodThe same 139 participants participated in two studies. They first took baseline measures. After, they were explicitly taught about savoring practices. In study 1, all participants were instructed to savor a photograph and video, timing and rating their emotion. Then in study 2, participants underwent a worry induction followed by an interventional experiment. In a savoring condition, participants were instructed to savor a personally-chosen enjoyable video. In a control condition, participants watched an emotionally neutral video. ResultsParticipants who met DSM-5 criteria for GAD had significantly lower scores on naturalistic savoring via self-report than those without GAD. Yet when explicitly taught and directed to savor in study 1, there were no differences between those with and without GAD in positive emotion duration and intensity. In study 2, longitudinal linear mixed models demonstrated that savoring after a worry induction significantly decreased worry, decreased anxiety, and increased positive emotions to greater degrees than the control task. These changes did not differ between diagnostic groups. All analyses controlled for depression symptoms. ConclusionAlthough persons with GAD tend to savor less in daily life than those without GAD, intentional savoring may decrease worry and increase positive emotion for both groups.

Effects of Voluntary Attention on Social and Non-Social Emotion Perception.

Existing studies have focused on the effect of emotion on attention, and the role of attention on emotion has largely been underestimated. To further determine the mechanisms underlying the role of attention on emotion, the present study explored the effects of voluntary attention on both social and non-social aspects of emotional perception. Participants were 25 college students who completed the Rapid Serial Visual Prime (RSVP) paradigm. In this study, the selection rates of participants' emotional intensity, pleasure and distinctness perception of the pictures were measured. The results showed as following: (a) The cued condition selection rate was higher than the non-cued condition in the evaluation of non-social emotional intensity perception and pleasure perception, (b) In the evaluation of social emotional intensity and pleasure perception, there was no significant difference in the selection rate between the cued and non-cued condition, (c) The cued condition selection rate was higher than the non-cued condition in the perception of non-social positive emotional intensity and social negative emotional distinctness. The novel findings of this study revealed that the effect of voluntary attention on emotional perception is influenced not only by emotional valence but also by emotional sociality.

Joyful by nature: approaches to investigate the evolution and function of joy in non-human animals.

The nature and evolution of positive emotion is a major question remaining unanswered in science and philosophy. The study of feelings and emotions in humans and animals is dominated by discussion of affective states that have negative valence. Given the clinical and social significance of negative affect, such as depression, it is unsurprising that these emotions have received more attention from scientists. Compared to negative emotions, such as fear that leads to fleeing or avoidance, positive emotions are less likely to result in specific, identifiable, behaviours being expressed by an animal. This makes it particularly challenging to quantify and study positive affect. However, bursts of intense positive emotion (joy) are more likely to be accompanied by externally visible markers, like vocalisations or movement patterns, which make it more amenable to scientific study and more resilient to concerns about anthropomorphism. We define joy as intense, brief, and event-driven (i.e. a response to something), which permits investigation into how animals react to a variety of situations that would provoke joy in humans. This means that behavioural correlates of joy are measurable, either through newly discovered 'laughter' vocalisations, increases in play behaviour, or reactions to cognitive bias tests that can be used across species. There are a range of potential situations that cause joy in humans that have not been studied in other animals, such as whether animals feel joy on sunny days, when they accomplish a difficult feat, or when they are reunited with a familiar companion after a prolonged absence. Observations of species-specific calls and play behaviour can be combined with biometric markers and reactions to ambiguous stimuli in order to enable comparisons of affect between phylogenetically distant taxonomic groups. Identifying positive affect is also important for animal welfare because knowledge of positive emotional states would allow us to monitor animal well-being better. Additionally, measuring if phylogenetically and ecologically distant animals play more, laugh more, or act more optimistically after certain kinds of experiences will also provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the evolution of joy and other positive emotions, and potentially even into the evolution of consciousness.