Socioeconomic Status Differences in Negative Emotions

Jakoby, Nina

doi:10.5153/sro.3895

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…While positive affect is particularly essential for a healthy sense of well-being [ 3 , 4 , 5 ], negative and positive affect are both under the influence of SES (education and income) [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Negative affect disproportionately affects individuals with low SES (low education and low income) [ 1 , 2 ], while individuals with high SES are more likely to report positive affect [ 9 , 10 ]. However, there might be a relative disadvantage for Blacks when compared to Whites, regarding how SES indicators impact positive and negative affect [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education and Income Predict Future Emotional Well-Being of Whites but Not Blacks: A Ten-Year Cohort

2018

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Background: The Minorities’ Diminished Return (MDR) theory is defined as systematically smaller effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on the health and well-being of minority groups when compared to Whites. To extend the existing literature on the MDR theory as applied to the change of mental well-being over time, we investigated Black-White differences in the effects of baseline education and income on subsequent changes in positive and negative affect over a ten-year period. Methods: The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) is a 10-year longitudinal study of American adults. This analysis followed 3731 adults who were either Whites (n = 3596) or Blacks (n = 135) for 10 years. Education and income, as measured at baseline and 10 years later, were the independent variables. Negative and positive affect, measured at baseline and over ten years of follow up, were the dependent variables. Covariates were age, gender, and physical health (body mass index, self-rated health, and chronic medical conditions), measured at baseline. Race was the focal moderator. We ran multi-group structural equation modeling in the overall sample, with race defining the groups. Results: High education at baseline was associated with an increase in income over the 10-year follow up period for Whites but not Blacks. An increase in income during the follow up period was associated with an increase in the positive affect over time for Whites but not Blacks. Conclusion: The MDR theory is also relevant to the effects of baseline education attainment on subsequent changes in income and then in turn on positive affect over time. The relative disadvantage of Blacks in comparison to Whites in receiving mental health gains from SES may reflect structural racism and discrimination in the United States. There is a need for additional research on specific societal barriers that minimize Blacks’ mental health gains from their SES resources, such as education and income. There is also a need for policies and programs that help Blacks to leverage their SES resources.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Education and Income Predict Future Emotional Well-Being of Whites but Not Blacks: A Ten-Year Cohort

2018

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“…Affect correlates with SES. In other words, low SES individuals are less happy [1,2] while individuals with higher SES report more positive affect [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Race, Education Attainment, and Happiness in the United States

Assari

2019

Int J Epidemiol Res

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Background and Objectives: As suggests by the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDR) theory, education attainment and other socioeconomic status (SES) indicators have a smaller impact on the health and well-being of non-White than White Americans. To test whether MDR also applies to happiness, in the present study, Blacks and Whites were compared in terms of the effect of education attainment on the level of happiness among American adults. Methods: General Social Survey (1972–2016) is a series of national surveys that are performed in the United States. The current analysis included 54,785 adults (46,724 Whites and 8,061 Blacks). The years of schooling (i.e., education attainment) and happiness were the main independent variable and the main dependent variable of interest, respectively. In addition, other parameters such as gender, age, employment status, marital status, and the year of the survey were the covariates and race was the focal effect modifier. Finally, the logistic regression model was used to analyze the data. Results: Based on the results, high education attainment was associated with higher odds of happiness in the pooled sample. Further, a significant interaction was found between race and education attainment on the odds of happiness, showing a larger gain for Whites compared to Blacks. Race-specific models also confirmed this finding (i.e., a larger magnitude of the effect of education for Whites compared to Blacks). Conclusion: Overall, the MDR theory also applies to the effect of education attainment on happiness. Blacks’ disadvantage in comparison to the Whites in gaining happiness from their education may be due to the structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism and discrimination in the US. Therefore, there is a need for economic and public policies that can minimize the Blacks’ diminished returns of education attainment and other SES resources.

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“…As the prototype of emotions is constructed through life experiences, this restricted sample limits the generalization of these findings across all age groups, also requiring future studies to assess the sadness prototype in a variety of demographic samples. Furthermore, the frequency of feeling negative emotions is affected by socioeconomic status (Jakoby, 2016). As private university students probably represent a high socioeconomic background, this aspect of our participants' social experience should be considered in future studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Identifying Positive Features of the Sadness Prototype

Shirai

Nagamine

2020

Percept Mot Skills

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Sadness, an emotional experience of daily life, is typically associated with negative experiences such as the loss of a loved one. However, sadness also has an adaptive function, as it can help us respond appropriately to environmental demands. While previous research has revealed positive functions of sadness, it is unclear whether laypeople recognize any positive aspects of sadness. In the present three-part study, we aimed to identify whether laypeople conceptualize any positive features of sadness. In Part 1, we asked Japanese participants ( n = 122) to describe the features of “sadness,” and their responses revealed 37 different sadness features, some of which were assumed to be positive aspects (e.g., meaning making). In Part 2, we asked a second group of Japanese participants ( n = 140) to rate the centrality of each previously named feature, and we then classified the features into either central or peripheral sadness features. At this point, participants reported positive aspects of sadness (e.g., co-occurrence of positive emotion). To confirm the differences between central and peripheral features, in Part 3 we examined automatic responses toward these features from a third group of Japanese participants ( n = 91) and demonstrated the relationship between the concept of sadness and its characteristic features. We presented these participants with a subset of the features of sadness and then asked them to complete a recall and recognition task. As expected, they recalled central features more often than peripheral features of sadness, and they generated false recognitions to central features. In conclusion, this three-part study indicated that there are positive features related to the function of sadness that laypeople can identify in their mental lexicon.

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Socioeconomic Status Differences in Negative Emotions

Cited by 14 publications

References 46 publications

Education and Income Predict Future Emotional Well-Being of Whites but Not Blacks: A Ten-Year Cohort

Education and Income Predict Future Emotional Well-Being of Whites but Not Blacks: A Ten-Year Cohort

Race, Education Attainment, and Happiness in the United States

Identifying Positive Features of the Sadness Prototype

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