Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regret
Recent theories about the relation between emotion and behavior hold that social behavior is influenced not only by the experience of emotion, but also by the anticipation of emotion. We argue that anticipating future emotional states is an emotion regulation strategy when it leads to a change in be...
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2012-11-01
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doaj-244eda6754f1485384a98a78782c1c082020-11-24T22:50:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782012-11-01310.3389/fpsyg.2012.0051331693Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regretJob eVan Der Schalk0Martin eBruder1Antony eManstead2Cardiff UniversityUniversity of KonstanzCardiff UniversityRecent theories about the relation between emotion and behavior hold that social behavior is influenced not only by the experience of emotion, but also by the anticipation of emotion. We argue that anticipating future emotional states is an emotion regulation strategy when it leads to a change in behavior. In the current studies we examined how construal of a fair or an unfair situation in terms of positive or negative anticipated emotions influences the fairness of subsequent behavior. We used the Ultimatum Bargaining Game--an experimental game in which participants divide a resource between themselves and another person--as a social situation that offers the opportunity to engage in fair and unfair behavior. In Study 1 we used an autobiographical recall task to manipulate anticipated emotions. Although the task did not influence anticipated emotions directly, results showed that anticipated pride about fair behavior increased levels of fairness, whereas anticipated pride about unfair behavior decreased levels of fairness. Similarly, anticipated regret about fair behavior decreased levels of fairness, whereas anticipated regret about unfair behavior increased levels of fairness. In Study 2 we replicated this pattern of findings, and found that participants who thought about their anticipated emotions (pride or regret) in relation to unfair behavior behaved more fairly. We discuss these findings in relation to theories of emotion regulation and economic decision-making.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00513/fullfairnessprideregretAnticipated emotionsUltimatum Bargaining Game (UBG) |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Job eVan Der Schalk Martin eBruder Antony eManstead |
spellingShingle |
Job eVan Der Schalk Martin eBruder Antony eManstead Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regret Frontiers in Psychology fairness pride regret Anticipated emotions Ultimatum Bargaining Game (UBG) |
author_facet |
Job eVan Der Schalk Martin eBruder Antony eManstead |
author_sort |
Job eVan Der Schalk |
title |
Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regret |
title_short |
Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regret |
title_full |
Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regret |
title_fullStr |
Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regret |
title_full_unstemmed |
Regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: The role of anticipated pride and regret |
title_sort |
regulating emotion in the context of interpersonal decisions: the role of anticipated pride and regret |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Psychology |
issn |
1664-1078 |
publishDate |
2012-11-01 |
description |
Recent theories about the relation between emotion and behavior hold that social behavior is influenced not only by the experience of emotion, but also by the anticipation of emotion. We argue that anticipating future emotional states is an emotion regulation strategy when it leads to a change in behavior. In the current studies we examined how construal of a fair or an unfair situation in terms of positive or negative anticipated emotions influences the fairness of subsequent behavior. We used the Ultimatum Bargaining Game--an experimental game in which participants divide a resource between themselves and another person--as a social situation that offers the opportunity to engage in fair and unfair behavior. In Study 1 we used an autobiographical recall task to manipulate anticipated emotions. Although the task did not influence anticipated emotions directly, results showed that anticipated pride about fair behavior increased levels of fairness, whereas anticipated pride about unfair behavior decreased levels of fairness. Similarly, anticipated regret about fair behavior decreased levels of fairness, whereas anticipated regret about unfair behavior increased levels of fairness. In Study 2 we replicated this pattern of findings, and found that participants who thought about their anticipated emotions (pride or regret) in relation to unfair behavior behaved more fairly. We discuss these findings in relation to theories of emotion regulation and economic decision-making. |
topic |
fairness pride regret Anticipated emotions Ultimatum Bargaining Game (UBG) |
url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00513/full |
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