The Art of Anger: Reward Context Turns Avoidance Responses to Anger-Related Objects Into Approach

• Published in: Psychological science 2010-10, Vol.21 (10), p.1406-1410
• Main Authors: Aarts, Henk, Ruys, Kirsten I., Veling, Harm, Renes, Robert A., de Groot, Jasper H.B., van Nunen, Anna M., Geertjes, Sarit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anger; Approach-Avoidance; Association Learning; Avoidance Learning; Awareness; Behavioural psychology; Emotional expression; Emotions; Exertion; Facial Expression; Facial expressions; Fear; Hand Strength; Humans; Motivation; Motivation research; Object Attachment; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Personality psychology; Physical Exertion; Psychological effects; Psychology; Research Reports; Reward; Rewards; Social psychology; Subliminal perception; Subliminal Stimulation
• ISSN: 0956-7976; 1467-9280
• DOI: 10.1177/0956797610384152

Anger has a special status among the emotions in that it can elicit avoidance as well as approach motivation. This study tested the ignored role of reward context in potentiating approach rather than avoidance responses toward objects associated with anger. In Experiment I, angry and neutral facial expressions were parafoveally paired with common objects, and responses to the objects were assessed by subjective reports of motivation to obtain them. In Experiment 2, objects were again paired with angry or neutral faces outside of participants' awareness, and responses toward the objects were indexed by physical effort expended in attempting to win them. Results showed that approach motivation toward anger-related objects can be observed when responding is framed in terms of rewards that one can obtain, whereas avoidance motivation occurs in the absence of such a reward contextThese findings point to the importance of a reward context in modulating people's responses to anger.