Experimental Evidence That Positive Moods Cause Sociability

Abstract

Although intuitive and predicted by the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, previous research has not seriously tested the idea that positive moods can cause sociability. The authors developed a new measure to assess preferences for social (vs. nonsocial) situations, carefully controlling for the fact that social situations are, on average, also more pleasant. Across two additional experiments (combined n ¼ 237), the authors induced positive, negative, and neutral moods with film clips (betweensubjects) and found that participants in the positive conditions felt more social (adjective ratings) and indicated stronger preferences for social situations (on the new measure), compared to those in both negative and neutral conditions. Beyond filling an important gap in the empirical record, the authors also explore the implications of this finding for broaden-and-build theory and a large literature linking trait extraversion with happiness.

The affective tie that binds: Examining the contribution of positive emotions and anxiety to relationship formation in social anxiety disorder

“…First, positive emotions and anxiety were not experimentally manipulated. Although a temporal statistical relationship was found between increases in pleasantness and connectedness over time, experimental manipulations intended to induce differential affective states would offer stronger evidence to support positive emotions as a causal process underlying the formation of new social connections (e.g., Whelan & Zelenski, 2012). Second, all participants met diagnostic criteria for SAD and displayed elevated symptoms of social anxiety.…”

“…Neural systems that regulate responses to the anticipation and receipt of social reward cues (e.g., signs of acceptance) govern subsequent affective, motivational, and behavioral processes that promote friendship development and maintenance (Bhanji & Delgado, 2014; Eisenberger & Cole, 2012; Fareri & Delgado, 2014; Vrticka, 2012). Specifically, increases in positive emotions (Vittengl & Holt, 2000) motivate people to seek out future opportunities to connect with others (Whelan & Zelenski, 2012), thereby creating a self-perpetuating cycle supporting the initiation and strengthening of social bonds (Ramsey & Gentzler, 2015). The current findings build upon earlier research (Kashdan & Roberts, 2004), which together suggest that similar positive affective-relationship formation processes operate for individuals with SAD.…”

“…Moreover, neural circuits that regulate responses to reward-relevant stimuli (e.g., striatum, orbitofrontal cortex) are also involved in processing social rewards (e.g., receiving positive social feedback; Izuma, Saito, & Sadato, 2008), and thus may operate to reinforce our connections with others (Fareri, Niznikiewicz, Lee, & Delgado, 2012; for reviews see, Bhanji & Delgado, 2014; Eisenberger & Cole, 2012; Fareri & Delgado, 2014; Vrticka, 2012). Experimental evidence demonstrates that increases in positive emotions heightened one’s desire to engage in social activity (Whelan & Zelenski, 2012) and predicted subsequent increases in feelings of connectedness with others (Fredrickson et al, 2008; Kok et al, 2013). Further, positive emotions experienced towards the beginning of relationships between new roommates correlated with a sense of connectedness between those roommates, whereas negative emotions did not account for connectedness when considered in conjunction with positive emotions (Waugh & Fredrickson, 2006; see also Strong & Aron, 2006).…”

I feel good, therefore I am real: Testing the causal influence of mood on state authenticity

“…For example, state authenticity is associated with fun, with social contact, with being in familiar surroundings, with having one's psychological needs met, with high self-esteem, and with the experience of (Fleeson & Wilt, 2010;Sheldon et al, 1997). Thus, situations that give rise to authenticity are also ones that give rise to positive mood (or that inhibit negative mood) and vice versa (Whelan & Zelenski, 2012).…”

The Effect of Team Affective Tone on Team Performance: The Roles of Team Identification and Team Cooperation

“…It has been found that a positive affective state results in interpersonal attraction (Gouaux, ), sociability, and identification (Ilies, Scott, & Judge, ; Isen, ; Isen & Levin, ). When people are primed with a positive mood, they are more likely to feel sociable and exhibit a stronger preference for social situations, as compared to those under a negative mood (Whelan & Zelenski, ). Therefore, we infer that teams with stronger positive affective tone are more likely to be sociable and hence experience stronger team cohesion and identification.…”