Positive affect facilitates creative problem solving.

Isen, Alice M.; Daubman, Kimberly A.; Nowicki, Gary P.

doi:10.1037//0022-3514.52.6.1122

Cited by 549 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Given that this study focused on intrapersonal problems whereas previous research has almost exclusively examined interpersonal problem-solving, these findings extend previous work and suggest that deficits in problem-solving in depression are not a function of interpersonal problems per se but may represent a more global deficit in problem-solving ability. Further support for negative moods having a more general impairment on problem-solving comes from research which has found that positive compared to negative moods facilitate performance on a range of measures of creative problem-solving ability [ 77 – 79 ]. As positive moods are more likely to involve using simple heuristics and loose processing, they increase the likelihood of generating creative solutions [ 80 – 82 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking about the consequences: The detrimental role of future thinking on intrapersonal problem-solving in depression

Noreen,

Dritschel

2023

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the fact that depressed individuals encounter a multitude of social problems in daily life, research on social problem-solving has largely been dominated by research on interpersonal problems and there is a paucity of research on intrapersonal problems. Intrapersonal problems are linked to one’s subjective psychological functioning and involve managing one’s own feelings and emotions pertaining to the self. Given that depressed individuals exhibit impaired emotion regulation, it is possible that their ability to solve intrapersonal problems may be impaired, especially in relation to future thinking. The aim of this study was to investigate whether future thinking, in the form of thinking about the consequences of a problem being resolved or remaining unresolved has an impact on intrapersonal problem-solving in depression. Forty-five depressed and fifty-four non-depressed participants completed a modified version of the means end problem-solving task (MEPS). In the task, participants were presented with a series of intrapersonal problems and were asked to generate consequences of the problems being resolved or remaining unresolved. Participants were then presented with a positive resolution to each of the problems and were asked to solve the problem to achieve the positive resolution. Following a delay, participants were asked to recall all of the consequences initially generated. Overall, depressed individuals generated fewer-relevant means and less effective solutions to problems than non-depressed participants. Depressed individuals also demonstrated impaired intrapersonal problem-solving following the generation of resolved and unresolved consequences, compared to a baseline condition, where no consequences were generated. These findings suggest that future thinking impairs intrapersonal problem-solving and indicates that a more nuanced approach to future thinking and social problem-solving in depression is needed across different real-life problem-solving contexts.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking about the consequences: The detrimental role of future thinking on intrapersonal problem-solving in depression

Noreen,

Dritschel

2023

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Given their ability to accurately evaluate and effectively manage emotions (Salovey & Mayer, 1990), team members with high EI are less susceptible to psychological strain, even when the change is largely unexpected and uncertain. Rather than struggling with negative emotions which lead to errorfocused cautious reasoning (Isen et al, 1987), team members with high EI understand the limitations of negative emotions and can adjust their emotions to be positive, regardless of the extent to which the change is disruptive. Positive affect facilitates integrative and creative thinking (Isen et al, 1987), thereby helping the team to overcome the challenges of uncertain membership change.…”

Section: The Moderating Effect Of Emotional Intelligencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rather than struggling with negative emotions which lead to errorfocused cautious reasoning (Isen et al, 1987), team members with high EI understand the limitations of negative emotions and can adjust their emotions to be positive, regardless of the extent to which the change is disruptive. Positive affect facilitates integrative and creative thinking (Isen et al, 1987), thereby helping the team to overcome the challenges of uncertain membership change. They can also express their emotions in a polite manner and refined language and respond appropriately to other team members' feelings, which prevents interpersonal problems from deepening.…”

Section: The Moderating Effect Of Emotional Intelligencementioning

confidence: 99%

Team Membership Change and Team Effectiveness: The Role of Informational Attributes

Kim,

Bell

2023

Small Group Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examined the impact of informational attributes of team membership change on affective emergent states and team effectiveness, and how members’ emotional intelligence (EI) shapes this impact. Results from two laboratory studies showed that change predictability and rationality affected team potency and identification. These emergent states had unique effects on team effectiveness over and above the effects of team process. Results also showed that members’ EI moderated the effects of change predictability and rationality. These findings emphasize the importance of membership change attributes, affective emergent states, and team composition in determining team effectiveness after a membership change.

show abstract

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Positive-Affect Intervention and Medication Adherence in Hypertensive African Americans

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Poor adherence explains poor blood pressure (BP) control; however African Americans suffer worse hypertension-related outcomes. Methods This randomized controlled trial evaluated whether a patient education intervention enhanced with positive-affect induction and self-affirmation (PA) was more effective than patient education (PE) alone in improving medication adherence and BP reduction among 256 hypertensive African Americans followed up in 2 primary care practices. Patients in both groups received a culturally tailored hypertension self-management workbook, a behavioral contract, and bimonthly telephone calls designed to help them overcome barriers to medication adherence. Also, patients in the PA group received small gifts and bimonthly telephone calls to help them incorporate positive thoughts into their daily routine and foster self-affirmation. The main outcome measures were medication adherence (assessed with electronic pill monitors) and within-patient change in BP from baseline to 12 months. Results The baseline characteristics were similar in both groups: the mean BP was 137/82 mm Hg; 36% of the patients had diabetes; 11% had stroke; and 3% had chronic kidney disease. Based on the intention-to-treat principle, medication adherence at 12 months was higher in the PA group than in the PE group (42% vs 36%, respectively; P =.049). The within-group reduction in systolic BP (2.14 mm Hg vs 2.18 mm Hg; P =.98) and diastolic BP (−1.59 mm Hg vs −0.78 mm Hg; P=.45) for the PA group and PE group, respectively, was not significant. Conclusions A PE intervention enhanced with PA led to significantly higher medication adherence compared with PE alone in hypertensive African Americans. Future studies should assess the cost-effectiveness of integrating such interventions into primary care. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00227175

show abstract

Positive affect facilitates creative problem solving.

Cited by 549 publications

References 35 publications

Thinking about the consequences: The detrimental role of future thinking on intrapersonal problem-solving in depression

Thinking about the consequences: The detrimental role of future thinking on intrapersonal problem-solving in depression

Team Membership Change and Team Effectiveness: The Role of Informational Attributes

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Positive-Affect Intervention and Medication Adherence in Hypertensive African Americans

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About