What Do Emotions Do for Us?

Lench, Heather C.; Carpenter, Zari Koebel

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77619-4_1

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The authors posit that three of the components of EI, perceiving and expressing emotions, using emotions to guide cognitive activities and solve problems, and understanding the cause and effect between events and emotions, should be useful primarily during problem-focused coping (see Figure 1). From an evolutionary perspective, the function of emotions is to help to resolve the problem that EI and entrepreneurial coping elicited it (Lench and Carpenter, 2018); thus, emotions are often one of the first signals that something is wrong. Strong EI, particularly the perceiving emotions component, would allow one to recognize these emotional cues.…”

Section: Model Development and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An emotional intelligence model of entrepreneurial coping strategies

Pathak

Goltz

2021

IJEBR

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PurposeThe purpose of this article is to recognize emotional intelligence (EI) as a specific emotional competency possessed by entrepreneurs that facilitates their coping with stressors that arise in their day-to-day work. Highlighting the problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies employed by entrepreneurs, the paper establishes that EI in entrepreneurs enables the onset of acceptance of the existence of a stressful situation and that of optimism that a stressful situation can be solved.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews literature on the topics related to links between EI, entrepreneurial behaviors and entrepreneurial coping. Subsequently, acceptance-avoidance motivation theory is used to posit that entrepreneurs' EI serves as an antecedent that (1) guides the selection of their coping strategies through onset of optimism and acceptance of stressful situation, (2) assists in perceiving those situations as either controllable or uncontrollable and (3) shapes the actual process through which entrepreneurs cope.FindingsThe proposed conceptual model asserts that entrepreneurs' EI as reflected in their abilities to perceive, use, understand and regulate emotions is key to their coping. EI in entrepreneurs assists them in being optimistic about solving a stressful situation and accepting of such situations as well. Thereafter, selection of a problem-focused or emotion-focused coping strategy or both ensues.Originality/valueThe current work offers a conceptual model that highlights the role of entrepreneurs' EI in coping, integrates both the cognitive and affective components of coping and suggests a variety of avenues for future research. This model extends models of coping that categorize coping types to specify the process thought to be involved. Understanding the role of emotional intelligence in coping with stress by entrepreneurs has theoretical and practical implications which are discussed as well.

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Section: Model Development and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An emotional intelligence model of entrepreneurial coping strategies

Pathak

Goltz

2021

IJEBR

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“…In the study of emotions, there is a great consensus on the functionality they have in human life ( Keltner and Haidt, 1999 ; Fischer and Manstead, 2008 ; Niedenthal and Brauer, 2012 ; Lench, 2018 ). These functions help propitiate automatic and adaptive responses with the ultimate goal of increasing human survival.…”

Section: Emotions and Solidaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Transcendent Emotions and Their Social Effects: Awe, Elevation and Kama Muta Promote a Human Identification and Motivations to Help Others

et al. 2021

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Abundant literature shows the effects of negative emotions on motivations to engage in collective action (i.e., to collectively mobilize personal resources to achieve a common objective), as well as their influence on the creation of shared identities. In this proposal, we focus on the possible role of Self-Transcendent Emotions (STEs) defined as positive-valence emotions that have been key in the creation and maintenance of collective identities, as well as in promoting individuals well-being. In detail, we examine their influence in (a) strengthening a global identification, (b) increasing willingness to collectively help others, and (c) improving people’s wellbeing. For this reason, we conducted a preliminary literature review of k = 65 independent studies on the effects of STEs on connection to others. Through this review (fully available in Supplementary Materials), we selected a sample of STEs (Awe, Elevation, and Kama Muta) and elicitors to conduct a video-base study. In it, 1,064 university students from 3 different cultural regions (from Spain and Ecuador) were randomized to answer one of three STE scales (i.e., each measuring one of the selected STEs), and evaluate three videos in random order (i.e., each prototypical for the selected STEs). Participants also answered a measure of global identification and intentions to collectively help others (after each video), as well as self-transcendent and well-being (at the end of the survey). Results from SEM analyses show these STEs motivated a fusion of identity with all humanity, as well as collective intentions to help others, even controlling for individuals’ value orientations. In addition, the three of them indirectly increased participants’ well-being through a higher global identity. While there are differences among them, these three STEs share common elements and their effects are constant across the different cultural regions. It is concluded that Awe, Elevation, and Kama Muta, even individually experienced, have a significant potential to influence people’s behavior. Specifically, in various forms of collective action aimed at helping others.

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“…Whether owing to innate functionality or socially learned outcomes, emotions are useful to feel in that they tend to promote beneficial outcomes in specific contexts (e.g., Barrett, 2012; Keltner & Haidt, 2003; Lench, 2018; Shariff & Tracy, 2011). This work extends to both positive emotions (e.g., compassion, gratitude, and pride; Algoe, 2012; Shiota et al, 2014; Stellar et al, 2017; Weidman et al, 2016; Williams & DeSteno, 2008) and negative emotions (e.g., anger, envy; guilt; Amodio, Devine, & Harmon-Jones, 2007; Andrade & Ho, 2009; Ketelaar & Tung Au, 2003; Lange & Crusius, 2015; van de Ven et al, 2009; van Kleef et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Emotions such as anger, gratitude, envy, and pride can be thought of as tools—responses that help people solve context-specific problems in social life (e.g., Keltner & Haidt, 2003; Lench, 2018; Shariff & Tracy, 2011; Shiota et al, 2014; Stellar et al, 2017). Although debate exists as to whether emotions have become tools as a result of innate, evolved functionality or because people have learned to associate them with beneficial outcomes (e.g., Barrett, 2012; Moors, 2017), there is robust evidence that emotions tend to serve beneficial purposes in daily life.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining emotional tool use in daily life.

Weidman¹,

Kross²

2021

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

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Emotions such as anger, gratitude, envy, and pride can be thought of as tools: They tend to serve context-specific functions in daily life. Prior work has shown that people can use emotions as tools in laboratory contexts, yet it is unclear whether people do use emotions as tools in daily life by intentionally trying to feel or express emotions that could yield context-specific beneficial outcomes. We examined this issue in 6 studies (total N ϭ 1,409) in which participants (a) identified scenarios where specific emotions typically function as tools, (b) recalled episodes of emotional tool use, and (c) reported on emotional tool use in daily life via experience-sampling under experimental instructions. We found that people regularly used emotions as tools in daily life, but that people used positive emotions as tools much more frequently than negative emotions. Yet, when people used positive emotions as tools, this led to less beneficial outcomes than when participants felt positive emotions reactively-in part because using positive emotions as tools felt inauthentic-whereas using negative emotions as tools led to more beneficial outcomes than feeling negative emotions reactively. These findings point to a fascinating paradox: Although people are more willing to use positive (vs. negative) emotions as tools, these choices may not lead people to garner maximal possible benefits of positive emotions, while preventing people from capitalizing on the benefits of using negative emotions as tools. We discuss implications of this work for incorporating emotional tool use into theories of emotion regulation.

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What Do Emotions Do for Us?

Cited by 12 publications

References 22 publications

An emotional intelligence model of entrepreneurial coping strategies

An emotional intelligence model of entrepreneurial coping strategies

Self-Transcendent Emotions and Their Social Effects: Awe, Elevation and Kama Muta Promote a Human Identification and Motivations to Help Others

Examining emotional tool use in daily life.

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