From Values to Emotions: Cognitive Appraisal Mediates the Impact of Core Values on Emotional Experience
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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in: Emotion, Jahrgang 23, Nr. 4, 07.04.2022, S. 1115-1129.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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TY - JOUR
T1 - From Values to Emotions
T2 - Cognitive Appraisal Mediates the Impact of Core Values on Emotional Experience
AU - Conte, Beatrice
AU - Hahnel, Ulf J.J.
AU - Brosch, Tobias
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 American Psychological Association
PY - 2022/4/7
Y1 - 2022/4/7
N2 - Emotions and values are fundamentally connected. They both are psychological markers of subjective relevance and are thought to be deeply functionally intertwined: According to appraisal theories of emotion, emotions arise when value concerns are at stake; according to theories of value, a value that is threatened or supported gets infused with feelings. Surprisingly, while these assumptions are considered well established by researchers in the respective domains, up to now, empirical research has not provided much evidence supporting a link between values and emotions. To fill this gap, here we report results from three experiments demonstrating that values are indeed antecedents of emotions when emotional experiences arise in response to value-relevant stimuli. Individual differences in biospheric values predicted the intensity of emotional responses toward positive and negative information concerning nature and climate change, both when measured via psychophysiology (Experiment 1) and via self-report (Experiments 1–3). Primary appraisal was identified as the key process connecting values and emotions (Experiments 2–3), supporting the notion of appraisal theories that specific mechanisms of relevance detection underlie the elicitation of emotion. These findings may lead to new developments in value and emotion theories, potentially resulting in a stronger integration of the two constructs in a shared theoretical framework.
AB - Emotions and values are fundamentally connected. They both are psychological markers of subjective relevance and are thought to be deeply functionally intertwined: According to appraisal theories of emotion, emotions arise when value concerns are at stake; according to theories of value, a value that is threatened or supported gets infused with feelings. Surprisingly, while these assumptions are considered well established by researchers in the respective domains, up to now, empirical research has not provided much evidence supporting a link between values and emotions. To fill this gap, here we report results from three experiments demonstrating that values are indeed antecedents of emotions when emotional experiences arise in response to value-relevant stimuli. Individual differences in biospheric values predicted the intensity of emotional responses toward positive and negative information concerning nature and climate change, both when measured via psychophysiology (Experiment 1) and via self-report (Experiments 1–3). Primary appraisal was identified as the key process connecting values and emotions (Experiments 2–3), supporting the notion of appraisal theories that specific mechanisms of relevance detection underlie the elicitation of emotion. These findings may lead to new developments in value and emotion theories, potentially resulting in a stronger integration of the two constructs in a shared theoretical framework.
KW - biospheric values
KW - emotion
KW - primary appraisals
KW - secondary appraisals
KW - values
KW - Psychology
KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85130622620&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/emo0001083
DO - 10.1037/emo0001083
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 35389734
AN - SCOPUS:85130622620
VL - 23
SP - 1115
EP - 1129
JO - Emotion
JF - Emotion
SN - 1528-3542
IS - 4
ER -