Does Negative Affect Always Narrow and Positive Affect Always Broaden the Mind? Considering the Influence of Motivational Intensity on Cognitive Scope

Research over the last 5 decades has suggested that negative affective states narrow cognitive scope, whereas positive affective states broaden cognitive scope. An examination of this past research, however, reveals that only negative affects of high motivational intensity (e.g., fear, stress) and p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current directions in psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society 2013-08, Vol.22 (4), p.301-307
Main Authors: Harmon-Jones, Eddie, Gable, Philip A., Price, Tom F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affectivity. Emotion
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Motivation
Personality. Affectivity
Psychological aspects
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
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Summary:Research over the last 5 decades has suggested that negative affective states narrow cognitive scope, whereas positive affective states broaden cognitive scope. An examination of this past research, however, reveals that only negative affects of high motivational intensity (e.g., fear, stress) and positive affects of low motivational intensity (e.g., gratitude, amusement) may have been examined. Consequently, over the last 5 years, research has examined positive and negative affects that are low (e.g., sadness) versus high (e.g., desire) in motivational intensity. This research has found that affects of low motivational intensity broaden cognitive scope whereas affects of high motivational intensity narrow cognitive scope, regardless of the positivity or negativity of the affective state.
ISSN:0963-7214
1467-8721
DOI:10.1177/0963721413481353