Content uploaded by Joseph P. Forgas
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Joseph P. Forgas on May 05, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Don’t Worry, Be Sad! On the Cognitive, Motivational, and Interpersonal Benefits of Negative Mood
Abstract and Figures
This article reviews recent evidence for the benefits of negative affect for thinking and behavior, consistent with evolutionary theories suggesting an adaptive function for all affective states. Numerous experiments demonstrate that negative affect can improve memory performance, reduce judgmental errors, improve motivation, and result in more effective interpersonal strategies. These findings are interpreted in terms of dual-process theories that predict that positive affect promotes more assimilative, internally focused processing styles, whereas negative affect promotes a more accommodative and externally focused thinking strategy. The theoretical relevance of these findings for recent affect-cognition models is discussed, and the practical implications of recognizing the adaptive benefits of negative affect for social thinking and performance in a number of applied fields are considered.
Figures - uploaded by Joseph P. Forgas
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Joseph P. Forgas
Content may be subject to copyright.
Supplementary resource (1)
... Hence, the finding of sadness being a significant predictor for AS, could be interpreted as a sign of increased focus and reflection. Indeed, research carried out by Forgas (2013) has shown that sadness could be linked to more careful and detail-oriented thinking, strictly focusing on the task to achieve the best result possible. ...
... Nonetheless, these results have substantial implications for the potential interpretation of emotional AI in supporting distance learning or digital intervention programs, with accuracy in performances is not new. Previous research has shown that sadness is linked to more detail-oriented thinking and greater focus on tasks in order to achieve specific goals (Forgas, 2013;Huntsinger et al., 2010). This may help explain why sadness appeared as a significant predictor of accuracy, given that the participants in this study were able to thoroughly comprehend the jokes and provide correct responses. ...
Emotional engagement is a core facet of overall engagement, influencing our involvement in every task, as our actions inherently evoke emotional responses. With the growing integration of technology in education, it has become more feasible to combine technological devices like eye trackers and artificial intelligence (AI) to gain deeper insights into student engagement in academic tasks. The present study pioneers an exploration into the link between emotional engagement and performance in a humor-understanding reading task through the use of AI to identify emotions linked to task performance. 132 Italian undergraduates took part in a computer-based humor comprehension and appreciation task, which involved completing the Phonological and Mental Jokes task by selecting humorous joke endings and evaluating their funniness. During the task, an AI system assessed participants’ emotional involvement based on facial expressions, distinguishing between neutral state, happiness, and sadness. A positive correlation between measures of happiness and the self-reported perceived funniness was found. Conversely, expressions coded as sadness correlated negatively with the self-reported perceived funniness but positively with the number of correct answers. These results confirm the importance of studying emotional engagement during learning tasks and suggest that expressions of happiness and sadness are differently associated with students’ performance in text comprehension tasks. More broadly, the study provides a model for integrating facial expression detection AI systems to adapt learning tasks to learners’ emotional states.
... Below we scrutinise extensive psychological research on mood and depression. This research suggests that depressed (non-depressed) individuals or in sad (happy) mood engage more (less) in systematic processing (Forgas, 2013;Schwarz & Clore, 2003;Seligman et al., 1979;von Helversen et al., 2011). We draw on dual-process approaches which divide human thinking into two modes: automatic or associative and systematic or reflective. ...
... Although more research is needed, it seems that depression may work independently of these other concurrent appraisals. Perhaps this would be one positive aspect of experiencing symptoms of depression as a good deal of research on the benefits of sad mood suggests (Forgas, 2013). ...
In this paper, we investigate whether symptoms of depression affect the relationship between partisanship—one of the most important predictors of electoral behavior—and vote choice. Building on research from mood and depressive realism, we argue that symptoms of depression reduce the association between the strength of partisanship and vote choice because depressed mood can lead to better, clearer thinking. We evaluate and find support for this hypothesis using survey data from Britain, Spain, and the Netherlands. Our findings improve our understanding of the political consequences of depression, one of the most prevalent mental health problems in contemporary democracies.
... Most studies discovered that negative emotions decreased the willingness to take risks or invest because negative emotions signify a dangerous environment, making people more cautious (e.g., Lindquist & Barrett, 2008;Yuen & Lee, 2003). However, negative emotions could heighten the motivation to pursue opportunities for altering one's present circumstances (Forgas, 2013;Lin et al., 2006), potentially increasing the willingness to invest. The inconsistent research results stem from the implementation of different experimental environments and financial products. ...
... Interestingly, our results showed that negative emotions had no significant influence on investment willingness. These results were different from past findings of both the negative (Lindquist & Barrett, 2008;Yuen & Lee, 2003) and positive (Forgas, 2013;Isen et al., 1988;Lin et al., 2006) effects of negative emotion on investment willingness. Our results could be a combination of both negative and positive effects, in which participants experiencing negative effects not only paid attention to the negative aspects of ULIPs but also saw investment decisions as a possible opportunity to change their current negative situations. ...
Investment and insurance constitute pivotal subjects in financial management, especially in an era characterized by inflation. Unit-Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs), with a unique combination of investment risks and insurance protection, potentially trigger distinct psychological processes that have been inadequately explored. To bridge this gap, the current research aims to develop a cognitive model for decision-making in purchasing ULIPs. Utilizing structural equation modeling, our research manipulated information related to ULIP products (performance and dividends) while measuring participants’ perceptions, cognitive assessments, emotional states, and investment willingness concerning the products (bottom-up pathway), along with their traits such as risk tolerance (top-down pathway). Our results indicated that perceived performance and dividends affect cognitive assessment and positive emotions within the bottom-up pathway, thereby enhancing the willingness to invest in ULIPs. Conversely, risk tolerance negatively affects perceptions, evaluations, and emotions associated with ULIPs in the top-down pathway. Understanding the perception of product characteristics and individuals’ risk tolerance plays a crucial role in shaping financial decisions. These findings have significant implications for the ULIP decision-making processes.
... Contrary to traditional views that negative emotions are inherently harmful, several studies have highlighted their functional role in promoting adaptive behavior (Ford et al. 2018;Forgas 2013;Henson, Truchot, and Canevello 2021). For example, research on post-traumatic growth shows that negative emotions in the aftermath of severe psychological trauma can fuel greater resilience (Henson, Truchot, and Canevello 2021). ...
This essay explores the complex nature of forgiveness and unforgiveness as responses to wrongdoing. Traditionally, forgiveness has been framed as a process that promotes psychological and relational well-being, whereas unforgiveness is often viewed as harmful. Perhaps because of these tendencies, forgiveness researchers have documented many benefits associated with forgiveness but paid less attention to the possibility that there may be situations in which unforgiveness may be legitimate, appropriate, and perhaps even adaptive. We propose that the psychology literature could benefit from systematic investigation of unforgiveness that explores its complexity, potential moral dimensions, and the conditions under which it may serve as a valid and useful alternative to forgiving. By advocating for a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of both forgiveness and unforgiveness, we seek not to diminish forgiveness or prior forgiveness research but, rather, to encourage a more balanced perspective on these constructs that may lead to more nuanced theories and interventions in both clinical and applied settings.
... Such news signals the public's emotional recognition of medical workers. Second, by entitling affective meaning to medical workers, sad news can strengthen medical students' perception about the significance of medical profession [17]. Third, sad news can generate emotions of pride, which can have enduring effects when medical workers' acts get approval from the public [18]. ...
Background
Under the combined influence of the aftermath of the epidemic and aging, the shortage of health workforce has become increasingly serious across the globe, posing constraints to the achievement of Universal Health Coverage. Improving the professional identity of medical students can ensure a steady supply of potential medical workers, which can mitigate the shortage of medical workers. This study focuses on sad news about medical workers’ arduousness, a dominant news type in public crises, and examines how it affects medical students’ professional identity, which is regarded to be important in the development of medical education and public health.
Methods
This study employed a paper-and-pencil survey and recruited 1441 medical students in a Chinese university. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with SmartPLS 3.0 was used to analyze the data.
Results
The results reveal that media stories have multi-layered impacts on medical students’ professional identity. Their exposure of sad news about medical workers’ arduousness not only has direct impacts on professional identity, but also exerts indirect impacts via the provision of online emotional support.
Conclusion
This study has both theoretical and practical implications. In theory, the findings highlight the importance of media stories in the construction of professional identity and propose a theoretical framework for explaining the impacts of sad news exposure. In practice, this study contributes to the improvement of medical education, hospital management and public health governance in the digital age.
... Moderate NA can be beneficial when it improves motivation or draws attention to cues or situational demands that require one to respond or adapt. For example, NA can increase perseverance and reduce dysfunctional self-handicapping behaviors when success is uncertain (Forgas, 2013). Additionally, valuing NA experiences (i.e., finding NA to be appropriate and/or meaningful) is associated with greater well-being and attenuated linkages between NA and poorer psychological health (Luong et al., 2023). ...
Ecological momentary assessment is increasingly leveraged to better understand affective processes underlying substance use disorder treatment and recovery. Research in this area has yielded novel insights into the roles of mean levels of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) in precipitating drug craving and substance use in daily life. Little of the extant substance use disorder treatment research, however, considers dynamic patterns of PA and NA, separately or in relation to one another, or how such patterns may differ from those observed among nonclinical samples. The current ecological momentary assessment study examined between-person differences in within-person affect dynamics—including intensity, variability, instability, inertia, polarity, and spillover—among patients in residential treatment (n = 73) for opioid use disorder (OUD), both collectively and separately according to posttreatment relapse status, relative to a demographically similar nonclinical comparison group (n = 37). The results revealed no group differences in PA dynamics. The OUD group did, however, report higher average NA intensity and within-day variability relative to the comparison group. Furthermore, relative to the comparison group, OUD patients who relapsed within 120 days posttreatment exhibited greater linear declines in NA intensity across days, whereas OUD patients who did not relapse demonstrated weaker affect polarity (i.e., the within-person correlation between PA and NA). Although PA dynamics alone did not differ between groups, weaker affect polarity differentiated OUD patients who avoided relapse from the comparison group. The capacity to experience PA separately from fluctuations in NA may reflect an adaptive tendency that could reduce vulnerability to relapse among individuals in OUD treatment.
... Such a processing advantage in a positive mood is consistent with the affect-as-information framework (Schwarz & Clore, 1983), and has been linked to stronger activation of semantic associations (e.g., Bolte et al., 2003;Pinheiro et al., 2013), a greater breadth of attentional focus (e.g., Chwilla et al., 2011;Sakaki et al., 2011), directing attention to critical contextual information (e.g., Vissers et al., 2013;Wang et al., 2016), and reliance on general knowledge structures (e.g., Bless et al., 1996;Vissers et al., 2013). On the other hand, a negative mood has also been found to facilitate information processing (see Forgas 2013Forgas , 2017 for reviews), including semantic processing (see Naranowicz, 2022 for a review), when a task at hand requires constructing systematic semantic associations (Hesse & Spies, 1996), reliance on previous knowledge (Vissers et al., 2013;Jankowiak et al., 2022), reliance on stereotypes (Unkelbach et al., 2008), or greater attention to incoming information (Forgas, 2015). Consequently, it might be hypothesized that the facilitatory effect of a negative mood, as compared to a positive mood, on cognitive performance may be modulated by task complexity, with a negative mood potentially facilitating deep semantic analysis. ...
Research has demonstrated that positive and negative moods may differently affect semantic processing due to the activation of mood-dependent thinking. Interestingly, recent studies have indicated that the interplay between mood and semantic processing may also be modulated by the language of operation (native [L1] vs. second language [L2]). Still, it remains an open question if and how mood interacts with varying depths of semantic processing, particularly in bilinguals. Here, we show that a negative mood may differently modulate shallow and deep semantic processing in bilinguals at a behavioral level. In two experiments, Polish-English bilinguals, induced into positive and negative moods, performed a lexical decision task (marking shallow semantic processing; Experiment 1) and a semantic decision task (marking deep semantic processing; Experiment 2) with sentences in L1 and L2 of varying semantic complexity: literal, novel metaphoric, and anomalous sentences. While no interactive mood-language effect was observed for shallow semantic processing, we found faster semantic judgments when bilinguals were in a negative relative to positive mood in L2, but not L1, for deep semantic processing. These findings suggest that a negative mood may activate more analytical and effort-maximizing thinking in L2, yet only when the linguistic content requires deeper understanding.
En este artículo se analizan los efectos positivos de las emociones negativas. A través de una revisión de diferentes estudios y teorías, se muestra que emociones como el miedo, la tristeza o el arrepentimiento, cuando se experimentan de forma moderada, pueden favorecer un procesamiento analítico y más detallado de la información, lo que puede conducir a tomar mejores decisiones económicas. En concreto, se analizan cómo los estados emocionales aversivos pueden inducir comportamientos más acertados dentro del ámbito financiero. Se concluye recordando que las emociones negativas cumplen una función adaptativa que, en determinadas circunstancias, permite aprender de los errores y orientar el comportamiento hacia estrategias más reflexivas, desafiando la visión tradicional que solo asocia las emociones negativas con resultados desfavorables.
The aviation industry is acknowledged for its high-risk, high-pressure nature, where pilots' job burnout has adverse effects on well-being and industry performance. Understanding solutions to pilot job burnout is crucial for addressing the aforementioned challenges. Cognitive reappraisal, a double-edged sword, has yet to be proven effective in its application to this specific population, and there is a lack of research explaining why cognitive reappraisal can reduce job burnout. This empirical study, collecting data from 106 pilots, reveals cognitive reappraisal's efficacy in reducing burnout by lowering perceived stress (R2 = 0.497). The reduction is modulated by pilots' psychological resilience, indicating higher resilience enhances cognitive reappraisal's effectiveness. Additionally, perceived stress mediates differently in emotional exhaustion compared to dehumanization or reduced personal accomplishment. This research not only proposes, for the first time, a theoretical model depicting the impact relationships of pilot job burnout but also provides practical and targeted recommendations for reducing pilot job burnout.
Does temporary mood influence the occurrence of the fundamental attribution error (FAE)? Based on recent affect-cognition theorizing and research on attributions, 3 experiments predicted and found that negative moods decrease and positive moods increase the FAE, because of the information-processing consequences of these affective states. In Experiment 1, happy mood enhanced and sad mood reduced dispositional attributions based on coerced essays advocating unpopular opinions. Experiment 2 replicated this effect using an unobtrusive mood induction in a field study. Experiment 3 further confirmed these results and also showed that changes in the FAE were linked to mood-induced differences in processing style, as indicated by memory data and confirmed by mediational analyses. The results are discussed in terms of the cognitive processing strategies that mediate mood effects on attributions. The implications of the findings for everyday inferences and for contemporary theories of affect and cognition are considered.
Anthropologists have long recognized that cultural evolution critically depends on the transmission and generation of information. However, between the selection pressures of evolution and the actual behaviour of individuals, scientists have suspected that other processes are at work. With the advent of what has come to be known as the cognitive revolution, psychologists are now exploring the evolved problem-solving and information-processing mechanisms that allow humans to absorb and generate culture. The purpose of this book is to introduce the newly crystallizing field of evolutionary psychology, which supplied the necessary connection between the underlying evolutionary biology and the complex and irreducible social phenomena studied by anthropologists, sociologists, economists, and historians.
