Don't hide your happiness! Positive emotion dissociation, social connectedness, and psychological functioning

Urgency Theory in the context of broader emotion theories: a conceptual review

Negative and positive urgency are two closely related personality traits that reflect the tendency for an individual to engage in maladaptive risk-taking in response to extreme negative and positive emotions, respectively. However, other prominent emotion theories describe how emotions contribute to adaptive, rather than maladaptive, decision-making. This conceptual review considers how Urgency Theory can be integrated with these broader existing emotion theories. We proceed as follows: a) briefly define what is meant by emotions in science and summarize basic human neuroscience underlying emotions; b) briefly describe select theories and research linking emotions to adaptive decision-making, including brain correlates of this effect; c) review Urgency Theory, including contrasting evidence that emotions lead to maladaptive outcomes and brain correlates of this effect; d) discuss how urgency can be integrated into theories that view emotions as both adaptive and maladaptive for decision-making; and e) propose future directions to advance research in this field. We identified four, not mutually exclusive, viable options to integrate Urgency Theory into existing theories: urgency as model-free emotion regulation, urgency as being driven by incidental emotions, urgency as a reflexive response to emotions, or urgency as an individual difference factor. We conclude that although all four options are viable, individual difference and model-free emotion regulation have the most empirical support to date. Importantly, the other two options are less well-researched. Direct tests comparing these integrations is necessary to determine the most accurate way to integrate urgency with existing emotion theories. We believe that this research can identify mechanisms underlying urgency and help inform future intervention and prevention development to reduce negative effects of urgency across numerous maladaptive behaviors and clinical disorders.

Network analysis of depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with life satisfaction among Chinese hypertensive older adults: a cross-sectional study

Background

Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases among the older adult population in China and older adults with hypertension are more susceptible to mental health problems. This study aimed to explore the network structure of depression and anxiety, and their association with life satisfaction (LS) in older adults with hypertension.

Methods

A total of 4,993 hypertensive individuals aged 60 and above were selected from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS 2017-2018). The design of the CLHLS study was approved by the Campus Institutional Review Board of Duke University (Pro00062871) and the Biomedical Ethics Committee of Peking University (IRB00001052-13,074). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) were used to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms. Central and bridge symptoms were identified via "Expected Influence" and "Bridge Expected Influence", respectively. Network stability was assessed using the case-dropping bootstrap technique.

Results

Network analysis identified CESD3 (Feeling blue/depressed), GAD4 (Trouble relaxing), and GAD2 (Uncontrollable worry) as the most influential central symptoms in the network of depression and anxiety. Concurrently, GAD1 (Nervousness or anxiety), CESD10 (Sleep disturbances), and CESD1 (Feeling bothered) stand as critical bridge symptoms between depression and anxiety disorders. Moreover, CESD7 (Lack of happiness) exhibited the strongest negative correlation with LS in Chinese hypertensive older adults.

Conclusion

This exploratory study represents the first investigation to examine the mutual relationship between depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese hypertensive older adults. Interventions addressing targeting bridge symptoms have the potential to alleviate depressive and anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, improving happiness, hope, and sleep quality in this population may mitigate the adverse effects of depression and anxiety on LS.

Heightened response to positive facial cues as a potential marker of resilience following childhood adversity

Background: Childhood maltreatment profoundly influences social and emotional development, increasing psychiatric risk. Alterations in the implicit processing of threat-related cues following early abuse and neglect represent a marker of mental health vulnerability. Less is known about how early adversity influences the perception of positive social cues, despite their central role in establishing and maintaining social interactions and their association with better mental health outcomes.Methods: The sample consisted of 42 children and adolescents with substantiated childhood maltreatment experiences and 32 peers (mean age 13.3), matched on age, pubertal status, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and cognitive ability. A computerised experimental task assessed the perceived emotional intensity of positive (happy) and negative (fearful) facial expressions. Mental health symptoms were measured via self- and parental reports, and perceived social support was self-reported.Results: The experience of abuse and neglect was associated with heightened perceived intensity of positive facial cues. Cross-sectional post-hoc moderation and mediation analyses, employing a model-building approach, revealed that in maltreatment-exposed participants: (i) their increased response to positive facial cues was associated with lower symptoms; (ii) the presence of social support accounted for their heightened perceived intensity of positive facial cues; (iii) the presence of social support putatively contributed to lower symptoms by increasing the perceived intensity of positive facial cues. No group differences in perceived intensity of negative expressions were observed.Conclusions: These findings provide fresh insight into how positive faces are processed following maltreatment experience in childhood. Maltreatment experience was found to be associated with heightened perceived intensity of happy faces, which in turn was associated with better mental health and greater levels of social support. This suggests that heightened saliency of positive emotions acts protectively in children with maltreatment experience.

Emotional and relational protective factors during pregnancy and psychological well-being and personal growth after childbirth

BACKGROUND

Studies in the perinatal literature tend to focus on potential negative outcomes, but little attention has been paid to the protective factors that may be associated with better psychological well-being or positive mental changes, such as personal growth.

OBJECTIVE

Drawing on the Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions, the study employed a prospective design and a sequential mediation model to examine the mechanism by which protective factors during pregnancy (dispositional gratitude, perceived relationship quality with the partner, perceived maternal-foetal bonding) may be associated, in sequence, with higher psychological well-being and personal growth after childbirth among first-time mothers.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 515 women who were recruited through social media and completed questionnaires in two phases: Time 1, during the second half of their pregnancy; and Time 2, around 12 weeks after the birth of their first baby.

RESULTS

Results show that gratitude was associated with higher perceived relationship quality during pregnancy, which was associated with higher maternal-foetal bonding, which in turn was associated with higher psychological well-being and personal growth after childbirth. The indirect effects were significant.

CONCLUSION

The study expands knowledge of positive outcomes in the transition to motherhood, and demonstrates that positive emotions, such as gratitude, may be the first link in the chain of factors predicting better outcomes from pregnancy to childbirth.

Neural signatures of emotional inference and experience align during social consensus

Humans seamlessly transform dynamic social signals into inferences about the internal states of the people around them. To understand the neural processes that sustain this transformation, we collected fMRI data from participants (N = 100) while they rated the emotional intensity of people (targets) describing significant life events. Targets rated themselves on the same scale to indicate the intended "ground truth" emotional intensity of their videos. Next, we developed two multivariate models of observer brain activity- the first predicted the "ground truth" (r = 0.50, p < 0.0001) and the second predicted observer inferences (r = 0.53, p < 0.0001). When individuals make more accurate inferences, there is greater moment-by-moment concordance between these two models, suggesting that an observer's brain activity contains latent representations of other people's emotional states. Using naturalistic socioemotional stimuli and machine learning, we developed reliable brain signatures that predict what an observer thinks about a target, what the target thinks about themselves, and the correspondence between them. These signatures can be applied in clinical data to better our understanding of socioemotional dysfunction.

Testing emotional response coherence assumptions: Comparing emotional versus non-emotional states

Although central to theories of emotion, emotional response coherence, that is, coordination among various emotion response systems, has received inconsistent empirical support. This study tests a basic assumption of response coherence, that is, that it characterizes emotional states defining their beginning and end. To do so, we (a) compare response coherence between emotional versus non-emotional states and (b) examine how emotional coherence changes over time, before, during, and after an emotional episode. Seventy-nine participants viewed neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant film clips and rated continuously how pleasant they felt (experience) before (anticipation), during, and after (recovery) each clip. Autonomic physiological arousal responses (skin conductance level, heart rate; physiology) and facial expressions (corrugator, zygomatic activity; expression) were recorded. Within-person cross-correlations between all emotional response pairs were calculated for each phase. Analyses comparing coherence during emotional versus neutral film viewing showed that only experience-expression coherence was higher for emotional versus neutral films, indicating specificity for emotional states. Examining coherence across phases indicated that coherence increased from anticipation to emotional film viewing, as expected, for experience-expression and experience-physiology pairs (SCL only). Of those pairs, increased coherence returned to baseline during recovery, as theoretically assumed, only for experience-corrugator activity coherence. Current findings provide empirical support for theoretical views of response coherence as a defining feature of emotional episodes, but mostly for the coherence between experience and facial expressions. Further research needs to investigate the role of sympathetic arousal indices, as well as the role of response coherence in emotional recovery.

[Formula: see text] Emotional reactivity and expressivity in young children with sex chromosome trisomies: evidence from psychophysiological and observational data

Although sex chromosomal trisomies (SCT) in children are highly prevalent and associated with an increased risk for neurodevelopmental difficulties including socio-emotional problems, little is known about underlying mechanisms that could drive this risk. Studying emotional reactivity and expressivity of young children with SCT in early childhood could identify deviations in early emotional development and potentially serve as risk markers to guide clinical care in developing interventions. Participants in the current study were 90 SCT children and 97 population-based controls, aged 1 to 7 years, who experienced a stress-inducing event in which physiological (heart rate) and observational data (expression of negative emotions) were collected. Results showed early disturbances in the emotion system of young children with SCT, in terms of blunted but prolonged emotional reactivity and a reduced emotional expressivity in response to stress. Further, the concordance between emotional reactivity (arousal response) and expressivity was significantly lower in SCT, compared to controls. Given the significant impact of emotions on adaptive day-to-day functioning, deviations in processing emotions could be an important underlying mechanism in explaining the heterogeneity and variability in developmental outcomes often described in individuals with SCT.

A predictive model for understanding the role of emotion for the formation of presence in virtual reality

Users' emotions may influence the formation of presence in virtual reality (VR). Users' expectations, state of arousal and personality may also moderate the relationship between emotions and presence. An interoceptive predictive coding model of conscious presence (IPCM) considers presence as a product of the match between predictions of interoceptive emotional states and the actual states evoked by an experience (Seth et al. 2012). The present paper aims to test this model's applicability to VR for both high-arousal and low-arousal emotions. The moderating effect of personality traits on the creation of presence is also investigated. Results show that user expectations about emotional states in VR have an impact on presence, however, expression of this relationship is moderated by the intensity of an emotion, with only high-arousal emotions showing an effect. Additionally, users' personality traits moderated the relationship between emotions and presence. A refined model is proposed that predicts presence in VR by weighting emotions according to their level of arousal and by considering the impact of personality traits.

Putting Effort into Emotion Regulation: Manipulating Desirability and Motivational Strength

Although people often want to regulate their emotions, they are sometimes reluctant to invest the necessary effort in doing so. We propose that people could be motivated to invest effort in emotion regulation, by rendering the target emotional state more desirable. Rendering an emotion goal more desirable can motivate people to invest effort in emotion regulation, ultimately facilitating successful emotion regulation. In three studies (N = 452), we show that both inside and outside the lab, rendering calmness more desirable, boosted the motivational strength to increase calmness, increasing the effort people invested to increase calmness, and ultimately made people calmer. This investigation points to the importance of motivational strength as a potential means to promote effort and success in emotion regulation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00155-0.

Subjective-Physiological Coherence during Food Consumption in Older Adults

BACKGROUND

Subjective-physiological emotional coherence is thought to be associated with enhanced well-being, and a relationship between subjective-physiological emotional coherence and superior nutritional status has been suggested in older populations. However, no study has examined subjective-physiological emotional coherence among older adults while tasting food. Accordingly, the present study compared subjective-physiological emotional coherence during food consumption among older and younger adults.

METHODS

Participants consumed bite-sized gel-type foods with different flavors and provided their subjective ratings of the foods while their physiological responses (facial electromyography (EMG) of the corrugator supercilia, masseter, and suprahyoid, and other autonomic nervous system signals) were simultaneously measured.

RESULTS

Our primary findings were that (1) the ratings of liking, wanting, and valence were negatively correlated with corrugator EMG activity in older and young adult participants; (2) the positive association between masseter EMG activity and ratings of wanting/valence was weaker in the older than in the young adult group; and (3) arousal ratings were negatively correlated with corrugator EMG activity in the older group only.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate commonalities and differences in subjective-physiological emotional coherence during food intake between older and young adults.

Shared emotions in shared lives: Moments of co-experienced affect, more than individually experienced affect, linked to relationship quality

Motivated by collective emotions theories that propose emotions shared between individuals predict group-level qualities, we hypothesized that co-experienced affect during interactions is associated with relationship quality, above and beyond the effects of individually experienced affect. Consistent with positivity resonance theory, we also hypothesized that co-experienced positive affect would have a stronger association with relationship quality than would co-experienced negative affect. We tested these hypotheses in 150 married couples across 3 conversational interactions: a conflict, a neutral topic, and a pleasant topic. Spouses continuously rated their individual affective experience during each conversation while watching video-recordings of their interactions. These individual affect ratings were used to determine, for positive and negative affect separately, the number of seconds of co-experienced affect and individually experienced affect during each conversation. In line with hypotheses, results from all 3 conversational topics suggest that more co-experienced positive affect is associated with greater marital quality, whereas more co-experienced negative affect is associated with worse marital quality. Individual level affect factors added little explanatory value beyond co-experienced affect. Comparing co-experienced positive affect and co-experienced negative affect, we found that co-experienced positive affect generally outperformed co-experienced negative affect, although co-experienced negative affect was especially diagnostic during the pleasant conversational topic. Findings suggest that co-experienced positive affect may be an integral component of high-quality relationships and highlight the power of co-experienced affect for individual perceptions of relationship quality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Incremental theories of emotion across time: Temporal dynamics and correlates of change

Accumulating research points to the importance of incremental theories of emotion. Yet, little is known about whether these beliefs change in adulthood across long time spans, and if so, whether such changes are prospectively linked to emotion regulation outcomes. In the present investigation, we tested how incremental theories of emotion change during college, and whether such changes are linked to emotion regulation practices. We followed 394 undergraduates as they entered and ultimately graduated from college. Focusing on the temporal dynamics of incremental theories of emotion, we found that they were somewhat stable, and their mean-level increased over time. Focusing on the correlates of such changes, we found that students who during college came to believe that emotions (but not intelligence) are more controllable, ended up using more cognitive reappraisal (but not expressive suppression) at the end of college. Similarly, students who during college came to use cognitive reappraisal (but not expressive suppression) more frequently, ended up believing that emotion (but not intelligence) is more controllable at the end of college. This pattern could not be explained by differences in initial levels or by differences in underlying affective experiences. We discuss potential implications of these findings for understanding the interplay between beliefs and emotion regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Spontaneous suppression in dating couples: Social and physiological correlates of suppressing negative and positive emotions during negative and positive conversations

Suppression (i.e., inhibiting one's emotional expression) has typically been associated with social and physiological costs. However, recent theorizing calls into question the inevitability of these costs. The present study takes a more nuanced approach and examines the social and physiological correlates of spontaneous (i.e., uninstructed) suppression when considering two potentially critical factors: the valence of the suppressed emotions (i.e., negative vs. positive) and the valence of the emotional context in which emotions are suppressed (i.e., negative conversation vs. positive conversation). Specifically, dating couples (N = 196 couples) completed both a negatively-valenced and a positively-valenced conversation in the laboratory while their autonomic-physiological responses were recorded. After each conversation, participants rated 1) the extent to which they had suppressed their negative and positive emotions, 2) the quality of the conversation, and 3) how connected they felt with their partner. We used Actor-Partner Interdependence Models to estimate actor effects (e.g., association of one's own suppression and one's own connectedness) and partner effects (e.g., association of one's partner's suppression and one's own connectedness). Suppression was associated with lower conversation quality and connectedness for the actors but largely not for the partners, regardless of the valence of the suppressed emotions and of the context, even when adjusting for felt emotion. Additionally, suppression was consistently not associated with physiological responses of actors or partners. Together, these findings suggest that, during emotional conversations with one's romantic partner, spontaneous (unlike instructed) suppression is associated with social but not physiological costs for the self but not one's partner.

Mechanisms of quality-of-life improvement in treatment for alcohol use disorder

OBJECTIVE

For individuals in alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment, many argue that holistic indicators such as quality of life (QoL) should be more consistently used in addition to drinking-related indicators. QoL increases from pre- to post-AUD treatment, but the mechanisms are unclear. The present study examined the roles of positive and negative affect in QoL change during AUD treatment and additionally explored the relationship between QoL change and medication adherence.

METHOD

We examined the mediating roles of end-of-treatment positive affect (i.e., vigor) and negative affect (i.e., stress and tension) in the relationship between baseline (BL) and 26-week QoL among participants in the Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence study randomized to medication management (MM; n = 468) or medication management plus combined behavioral intervention (MMCBI; n = 479) for AUD. We also explored whether changes in QoL were associated with medication adherence.

RESULTS

Change in psychological health QoL was mediated by increased vigor (i.e., positive affect) and decreased stress, and change in environmental QoL was mediated by decreased stress. There were also differences by treatment group, with stress mediating changes in environmental QoL among participants in MM, and vigor mediating changes in psychological health QoL among participants in MMCBI. Medication adherence was not associated with greater QoL after controlling for posttreatment alcohol use.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study identified potential mechanisms of QoL change in AUD treatment, thus contributing to the growing knowledge surrounding alternative indicators of treatment success for AUD treatment and recovery. Targeting affective states and stress during treatment may improve QoL and recovery outcomes for persons with AUD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Resource-Building Processes Across Life Domains: Father-Child Interactions as Starting Points for Resource Caravans

In two studies, we examined preconditions of resource-building processes between family and work. Focusing on positive father-child interactions, we investigated positive mood states as links between the two life domains. Fathers employed in information technology (N 1 = 59) and the retail sector (N 2 = 75) participated in micro-longitudinal studies, both for eight consecutive workdays. Study 1 revealed that fathers with more positive interactions with a child also reported more positive mood states and fathers with more positive mood states perceived more social resources from their supervisor during the week. The indirect effect was small but significant. In Study 2, multilevel structural-equation models did not find indirect effects at the within-person level but did show that positive father-child interactions after work were related to fathers' positive mood states before going to bed and positive mood in the morning predicted perceived social resources from supervisors (but not from coworkers) in the forenoon. There were also positive effects of perceived social resources from supervisors on positive mood states, after work. But these did not translate into an increase in positive father-child interactions, in the evening. Hence, only single elements were supported but not the overall resource caravan.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10902-022-00523-4.

Risk perception, anxiety, and depression among hospital pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating effect of positive and negative affect

This study investigated the impacts of risk perception of COVID-19 on anxiety and depression symptoms among hospital pharmacists in China. We conducted a cross-sectional study with hospital pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Some 4,219 hospital pharmacists completed an online survey including demographic questions, risk perception of COVID-19, General Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Multivariate regression and mediation analyses were conducted. The results indicated that 41.9% and 29.4% of hospital pharmacists experienced mild to severe levels of anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. In older age, a higher level of risk perception of COVID-19, and negative affect experience were risk factors, whereas positive affect experience was a protective factor for anxiety and depression symptoms among pharmacists. Experience of positive and negative affect mediated the relationship between risk perception of COVID-19 and anxiety and depression among hospital pharmacists in China. Timely mental health services need to be provided for hospital pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transition from military to civilian: Identity, social connectedness, and veteran wellbeing

Military identity and a sense of social connectedness may help explain differences in contemporary veteran wellbeing following transition from military to civilian life. However, it is unclear how these constructs interrelate. The current study quantitatively explored the role of social connectedness in the relationship between military identity and subjective wellbeing among contemporary ex-serving Australian Defence Force veterans. To facilitate analyses, data from 358 veterans were used to first explore the suitability of the factor structure of the Warrior Identity Scale. Subsequently, the potential moderating and mediating effects of social connectedness in the relationship between military identity and wellbeing were explored via path analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Warrior Identity Scale revealed support for the multidimensional construct of military identity, and a revised six-factor measurement model was found suitable for further path analysis. Consistent with past research, social connectedness positively related to quality of life and negatively related to psychological distress. There was no support for a moderation effect of social connectedness. However, results indicated military identity indirectly influenced wellbeing and distress via differential relationships with social connectedness. Specifically, private and public regard for the military and not feeling like an outsider positively related to social connectedness. In contrast, interdependence with other veterans, viewing the military as family, and the centrality of military identity negatively related to social connectedness. The results suggest nurturing the protective aspects of military identity and addressing inhibitory aspects of military identity may support a sense of social connectedness and wellbeing among ex-serving veterans.

The Science of Health Care Worker Burnout: Assessing and Improving Health Care Worker Well-Being

CONTEXT.—

Problems with health care worker (HCW) well-being have become a leading concern in medicine given their severity and robust links to outcomes like medical error, mortality, and turnover.

OBJECTIVE.—

To describe the state of the science regarding HCW well-being, including how it is measured, what outcomes it predicts, and what institutional and individual interventions appear to reduce it.

DATA SOURCES.—

Peer review articles as well as multiple large data sets collected within our own research team are used to describe the nature of burnout, associations with institutional resources, and individual tools to improve well-being.

CONCLUSIONS.—

Rates of HCW burnout are alarmingly high, placing the health and safety of patients and HCWs at risk. To help address the urgent need to help HCWs, we summarize some of the most promising early interventions, and point toward future research that uses standardized metrics to evaluate interventions (with a focus on low-cost institutional and personal interventions).

A Cross-Level Theoretical and Empirical Model of Positive Emotions, Leader Identification, and Leader–Member Exchange

Abstract. Although leader–member exchange (LMX) has been widely studied, knowledge about how followers influence the LMX process remains unknown. By integrating the broaden-and-build theory (BBT) with the emotion as social information (EASI) theory, we develop a follower-centric multilevel model to investigate how followers' positive emotions have an impact on LMX via the mediating role of leader identification and the moderating role of leaders' positive emotions. We conducted a survey with 319 Chinese employees from 67 teams. The results indicated that leader identification served as a mediating factor in the relationship between followers' positive emotions and LMX. The work unit leaders' positive emotions strengthened the relationship between leader identification and LMX and moderated the mediated relationship among followers' positive emotions, leader identification, and LMX. Altogether, our findings inform new knowledge in terms of how followers may influence the development of LMX. We also help to extend the BBT and the EASI theory to the leadership context.

Capturing emotion coherence in daily life: Using ambulatory physiology measures and ecological momentary assessments to examine within-person associations and individual differences

While emotion coherence has long been theorized to be a core feature of emotion, to date, studies examining response coherence have been conducted in laboratory settings. The present study used a combined approach of ambulatory physiology measures and ecological momentary assessment conducted over a 4-week period to examine the extent to which emotional experience and physiology show coherence in daily life within-persons; and whether individual differences in response coherence are associated with between-person differences in well-being, negative emotionality, and gender. Results revealed that, on average, individuals exhibited coherence between subjective experience and physiology of emotion, but that there was substantial between-person variation in coherence in daily life. Exploratory analyses revealed no credible link between levels of response coherence and well-being, negative emotionality, or gender. Findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating a novel methodological approach to measuring coherence in daily life and supporting the generalizability of coherence to ecologically valid contexts.

The affective and conversational benefits of a walk in nature among mother-daughter dyads

The emotional benefits of nature among children and adults are well documented. However, little is known regarding how nature exposure influences a parent and child walking together (Journal of Planning Literature, 2015, 30, 433). We examine how both environmental setting and social context influence affect and conversational content among mother-daughter dyads. Twenty-eight mother-daughter (aged 10-12) dyads participated in a within-subjects experimental design that included two counterbalanced conditions-a 20 minute walk outdoors and a 20 minute walk indoors. Self-reported positive affect and negative affect were collected before and after each condition, and audio-recorded observations were utilized to code expressed positivity, negativity, and conversational content during each condition. Results showed that 1) daughters self-reported positive affect increased after the outdoor walk and mothers and daughters reported decreased negative affect after both conditions, 2) mothers and daughters expressed less negativity during the nature walk and were more likely to influence each other's negative affect indoors, and 3) mothers and daughters talked more about the surrounding environment during the indoor walk and engaged in more neutral conversations during the outdoor walk. Findings from the study demonstrate the benefits of mother-daughter dyads walking together outdoors and highlight the importance of spending time outside as a way to promote positive family interactions.

"I feel you": Greater linkage between friends' physiological responses and emotional experience is associated with greater empathic accuracy

How do people come to know others' feelings? One idea is that affective processes (e.g., physiological responses) play an important role, leading to the prediction that linkage between one's physiological responses and others' emotions relates to one's ability to know how others feel (i.e., empathic accuracy). Participants (N = 96, 48 female friend pairs) completed a stressful speech task and then provided continuous ratings of their own (as "targets") and their friend's (as "perceivers") emotional experience for the video-taped speeches. We measured physiology-physiology linkage (linkage between perceivers' and targets' physiology), physiology-experience linkage (linkage between perceivers' physiology and targets' experience), and empathic accuracy (linkage between perceivers' ratings of targets' experience and targets' ratings of their experience). Physiology-experience (but not physiology-physiology) linkage was associated with greater empathic accuracy even when controlling for key potential confounds (random linkage, targets' and perceivers' emotional reactivity, and relationship closeness). Results suggest that physiological responses play a role in empathic accuracy.

Creativity as a Means to Well-Being in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Cross-Cultural Study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about unprecedented uncertainty and challenges to the worldwide economy and people’s everyday life. Anecdotal and scientific evidence has documented the existence of a positive relationship between the experience of crisis and creativity. Though this appears to be ubiquitous, the crisis-creativity-well-being relationship has not been sufficiently examined across countries and using a working adult sample. The current study drew on a sample consisting of 1,420 employees from China (n = 489, 40% females), Germany (n = 599, 47% females), and the United States (n = 332, 43% females) to examine whether creativity can function as an effective means to cope with crisis and to achieve both flourishing and social well-being. Multivariate analyses showed that perceived impact of COVID-19 was positively related to creative process engagement, which was positively related to employees’ self-reported creative growth. Creative growth was associated with a higher level of flourishing well-being. This sequential mediation model was significant across the three samples. Creativity also mediated the relationship between perceived impact of COVID-19 and social well-being (social connectedness), but this connection was only found for the Chinese sample. Further data analyses revealed that individualism moderated this serial mediation model in that the positive coping effect of creativity on both flourishing and social well-being was stronger for individuals who hold more collectivistic views. Results of the study have implications for crisis management, personal development, and positive functioning of individuals and society.

Social connectedness and negative affect uniquely explain individual differences in response to emotional ambiguity

Negativity bias is not only central to mood and anxiety disorders, but can powerfully impact our decision-making across domains (e.g., financial, medical, social). This project builds on previous work examining negativity bias using dual-valence ambiguity. Specifically, although some facial expressions have a relatively clear negative (angry) or positive valence (happy), surprised expressions are interpreted negatively by some and positively by others, providing insight into one's valence bias. Here, we examine putative sources of variability that distinguish individuals with a more negative versus positive valence bias using structural equation modeling. Our model reveals that one's propensity toward negativity (operationalized as temperamental negative affect and internalizing symptomology) predicts valence bias particularly in older adulthood when a more positive bias is generally expected. Further, variability in social connectedness (a propensity to seek out social connections, use those connections to regulate one's own emotions, and be empathic) emerges as a notable and unique predictor of valence bias, likely because these traits help to override an initial, default negativity. We argue that this task represents an important approach to examining variability in affective bias, and can be specifically useful across the lifespan and in populations with internalizing disorders or even subclinical symptomology.

United on Sunday: The effects of secular rituals on social bonding and affect

Religious rituals are associated with health benefits, potentially produced via social bonding. It is unknown whether secular rituals similarly increase social bonding. We conducted a field study with individuals who celebrate secular rituals at Sunday Assemblies and compared them with participants attending Christian rituals. We assessed levels of social bonding and affect before and after the rituals. Results showed the increase in social bonding taking place in secular rituals is comparable to religious rituals. We also found that both sets of rituals increased positive affect and decreased negative affect, and that the change in positive affect predicted the change in social bonding observed. Together these results suggest that secular rituals might play a similar role to religious ones in fostering feelings of social connection and boosting positive affect.

Translation and Adaptation of the Social Connectedness Scale to Portuguese

Abstract The goal of the present study was to adapt the social connectedness scale (SCS) to Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its psychometric properties. A survey was conducted with 222 participants. They answered the SCS, the positive and negative affective schedule (PANAS), the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), two pictorial measures of social connectedness, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The original one factor solution was supported by the data. The SCS-derived score was significantly associated with the other measures in the expected directions. The results described in the present study are favorable regarding the internal consistency and evidence of validity of SCS scores. The study offers three social connectedness measures that can be used to investigate the impacts of social connectedness on cognition, behavior and health of Brazilians.

Positive affect is inversely related to the salience and emotion network's connectivity

Increasing evidence has shown that positive affect enhances many aspects of daily functioning. Yet, how dispositional positive affect is represented in the intrinsic brain networks remains unclear. Here, we used resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to test how trait positive and negative affect of an individual were associated with the intrinsic connectivity of brain regions within the salience and emotion network and the default mode network in 70 healthy young adults. We observed that positive affect was negatively associated with connectivity within the salience and emotion network, particularly with the bidirectional connections spanning the left anterior insula and left nucleus accumbens. For connections between the salience and emotion network and the rest of the brain, we observed that positive affect was negatively related to the connectivity between the right amygdala and the right middle temporal gyrus. Affect-based modulations of connectivity were specific to positive affect and to the salience and emotion network. Our findings highlight the critical role of salience and emotion network in the neural relations of positive affect, and lay the groundwork for future studies on modeling the connectivity of salience and emotion network to predict mental well-being.

Psychological predictors of posttraumatic growth among adult survivors of Wenchuan earthquake in China

The current research investigates the applicability of the posttraumatic growth inventory and psychological predictors of posttraumatic growth among adult survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake in China. The results indicated that although the survivors reported a high degree of posttraumatic stress symptoms, they also experienced a moderate to high level of posttraumatic growth two years after the earthquake. The simplified Chinese version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory had good reliability in the current study. Confirmatory factor analysis of the simplified Chinese version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory verified that the original five-factor model fit the data better than the four-factor model documented by Ho et al. (2004, 2011) among Chinese cancer patients. The current study also demonstrates that positive changes in outlook, positive affect, and perceived social support are significant predictors of posttraumatic growth among adult survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. Directions for future research on posttraumatic growth among survivors of natural disasters and implications for developing psychological interventions to help people recover from traumatic events are discussed.

Enhancing Social Connectedness in Anxiety and Depression Through Amplification of Positivity: Preliminary Treatment Outcomes and Process of Change

Background

Anxiety and depressive disorders are often characterized by perceived social disconnection, yet evidence-based treatments produce only modest improvements in this domain. The well-established link between positive affect (PA) and social connectedness suggests that directly targeting PA in treatment may be valuable.

Method

A secondary analysis of a waitlist-controlled trial (N=29) was conducted to evaluate treatment response and process of change in social connectedness within a 10-session positive activity intervention protocol-Amplification of Positivity (AMP)-designed to increase PA in individuals seeking treatment for anxiety or depression (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02330627). Perceived social connectedness and PA/negative affect (NA) were assessed throughout treatment. Time-lagged multilevel mediation models examined the process of change in affect and connectedness throughout treatment.

Results

The AMP group displayed significantly larger improvements in social connectedness from pre- to post-treatment compared to waitlist; improvements were maintained through 6-month follow-up. Within the AMP group, increases in PA and decreases in NA both uniquely predicted subsequent increases in connectedness throughout treatment. However, experiencing heightened NA throughout treatment attenuated the effect of changes in PA on connectedness. Improvements in connectedness predicted subsequent increases in PA, but not changes in NA.

Conclusions

These preliminary findings suggest that positive activity interventions may be valuable for enhancing social connectedness in individuals with clinically impairing anxiety or depression, possibly through both increasing positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions.

'It's the relationship you develop with them': emotional intelligence in nurse leadership. A qualitative study

AIM

to investigate emotional intelligence (EI) and its relationship to nursing leadership.

BACKGROUND

strong, effective leadership is core to organisational competency and significantly influences care quality. EI is the ability to understand one's own feelings and to assess and respond to the feelings of others. It is linked to self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skills, all of which are vital in leadership roles. However, insufficient research explores EI in nursing leadership from the perspective of nurse leaders.

DESIGN

a qualitative study employed interpretive phenomenological analysis methods, using a purposive sample of band 7 sisters/charge nurses/team managers (n=5) from one Welsh health board. Semistructured interviews were recorded and analysed in four stages.

FINDINGS

four clusters of themes were identified, each with two to three subthemes. These were: sensing others-the empathetic leader; experiencing the affected sense of self; strategies employed to build the team; and reading the flux of the organisation.

CONCLUSION

although the nurse leaders were unfamiliar with the concept of EI, their narratives reflected some core values of EI. However, significant barriers around time, pressure and staffing levels impeded their potential to use EI to become more effective leaders. Nurse leaders should harness the power of emotions to influence others to achieve excellent care.

Bridging the Gap between Affective Well-Being and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Role of Work Engagement and Collectivist Orientation

Workplace well-being has received considerable attention over the past decade. Relative to the positive relationship between affective well-being and in-role performance, the relationship between affective well-being and extra-role performance has received little empirical attention. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among affective well-being, work engagement, collectivist orientation, and organizational citizenship behavior. Specifically, we tested this model with a sample of 264 employees from a telecom company in China. We found that: (1) affective well-being was the positive predictor of organizational citizenship behavior (B = 0.482, p < 0.001); (2) work engagement mediated the relationship between employee affective well-being and organizational citizenship behavior (indirect effect = 0.330, p < 0.001); and (3) collectivist orientation moderated the relationship between affective well-being and work engagement (B = 0.113, p < 0.01) and affective well-being and organizational citizenship behavior (B = 0.084, p < 0.05). Our discussion highlights the benefits of understanding the role of work engagement and cultural values with regard to the relationship between affective well-being and organizational citizenship behavior.

Resting-state neural activity and connectivity associated with subjective happiness

The majority of people throughout the world rate subjective happiness as the top of the important thing in life. A recent structural neuroimaging study exploring neurocognitive mechanisms underlying subjective happiness has suggested that the gray matter volume of the right precuneus is associated with Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) scores. However, how the neural activity in this region, as well as the neural functional coupling between this and other regions, could be related to SHS scores remains unclear. To investigate these issues, we performed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and analyzed the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) in participants, whose subjective happiness was evaluated using the SHS. Lower fALFF values in the right precuneus were associated with higher SHS scores. Furthermore, functional connectivity and spectral dynamic causal modeling analyses showed that both functional and effective connectivity of the right precuneus with the right amygdala were positively associated with SHS scores. These findings, together with other evidence on the information-processing functions of these brain regions, suggest the possibility that subjective happiness is associated with a reduction in self-referential mental processes, which are well integrated with emotional processing.

The role of psychological capital in employee creativity

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles of four distinct but related aspects of psychological capital – optimism, hope, self-efficacy and resilience – in facilitating employee creativity. Drawing on the psychological capital perspective and the creativity literature, we propose that optimism and hope increase employee self-efficacy and resilience, which benefits employee creativity. Moreover, the authors hypothesize that self-efficacy and resilience have mediating roles in the psychological capital context, which, in turn, has a positive effect on individual employees’ creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained from a survey of multiple manufacturing firms on individual employee psychological capital and creativity. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses regarding psychological capital and creativity in a sample of 468 individual employees.

Findings

The results provide evidence that only resilience plays a mediating role between optimism and hope and employee creativity. The authors found that psychological capital is positively related to employee creativity.

Practical implications

These findings provide guidance for understanding how to better address the psychological capital that contributes to employee creativity in the workplace. Specifically, this study provides a rationale for facilitating the development of employee creativity by exposing the effect and path of psychological capital.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine the antecedents and mediating role of four distinct yet correlated dimensions of psychological capital on employee creativity. The findings of this study contribute to the theoretical development of a conceptual model that investigates the black box of the four aspects of psychological capital and creativity.

Coherence between subjective experience and physiology in emotion: Individual differences and implications for well-being

Emotion theorists have characterized emotions as involving coherent responding across various emotion response systems (e.g., covariation of subjective experience and physiology). Greater response system coherence has been theorized to promote well-being, yet very little research has tested this assumption. The current study examined whether individuals with greater coherence between physiology and subjective experience of emotion report greater well-being. We also examined factors that may predict the magnitude of coherence, such as emotion intensity, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression. Participants (N = 63) completed self-report measures of well-being, expressive suppression, and cognitive reappraisal. They then watched a series of emotionally evocative film clips designed to elicit positive and negative emotion. During the films, participants continuously rated their emotional experience using a rating dial, and their autonomic physiological responses were recorded. Time-lagged cross-correlations were used to calculate within-participant coherence between intensity of emotional experience (ranging from neutral to very negative or very positive) and physiology (composite of cardiac interbeat interval, skin conductance, ear pulse transit time, finger pulse transit time and amplitude, systolic and diastolic blood pressure). Results indicated that individuals with greater coherence reported greater well-being. Coherence was highest during the most emotionally intense film and among individuals who reported lower expressive suppression. However, coherence was not associated with reappraisal. These findings provide support for the idea that greater emotion coherence promotes well-being and also shed light on factors that are associated with the magnitude of coherence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Anorexia Nervosa and a Lost Emotional Self: A Psychological Formulation of the Development, Maintenance, and Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa

In this paper, we argue that Anorexia Nervosa (AN) can be explained as arising from a 'lost sense of emotional self.' We begin by briefly reviewing evidence accumulated to date supporting the consensus that a complex range of genetic, biological, psychological, and socio-environmental risk and maintenance factors contribute to the development and maintenance of AN. We consider how current interventions seek to tackle these factors in psychotherapy and potential limitations. We then propose our theory that many risk and maintenance factors may be unified by an underpinning explanation of emotional processing difficulties leading to a lost sense of 'emotional self.' Further, we discuss how, once established, AN becomes 'self-perpetuating' and the 'lost sense of emotional self' relentlessly deepens. We outline these arguments in detail, drawing on empirical and neuroscientific data, before discussing the implications of this model for understanding AN and informing clinical intervention. We argue that experiential models of therapy (e.g., emotion-focused therapy; schema therapy) be employed to achieve emergence and integration of an 'emotional self' which can be flexibly and adaptively used to direct an individual's needs and relationships. Furthermore, we assert that this should be a primary goal of therapy for adults with established AN.

Do Happy Events Love Company? Cultural Variations in Sharing Positive Events With Others

The present study examined cultural differences in the act of sharing positive events with others, called capitalization attempts. The first three studies tested whether capitalization attempts differ between two cultures using multiple methods: self-reports (Study 1), children's storybooks (Study 2), and Facebook (Study 3). We found that Koreans are less likely to share their positive events with others than European Americans. Study 4 further examined the antecedents and consequences of capitalization attempts. We replicated the earlier findings that Koreans are hesitant to share their positive events and demonstrated that this is because Koreans are more concerned about the potential negative consequences for social relationships. Moreover, we found that the cultural differences in capitalization attempts partly account for mean-level differences in well-being between cultures. Implications for capitalization, culture, and well-being are discussed.

PTSD in U.S. Veterans: The Role of Social Connectedness, Combat Experience and Discharge

Service members who transition out of the military often face substantial challenges during their transition to civilian life. Leaving military service requires establishing a new community as well as sense of connectedness to that community. Little is known about how social connectedness may be related to other prominent transition outcomes, particularly symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to explore the role of social connectedness in the development of PTSD, as well as its relationship to the known risk factors of combat exposure and discharge status. Data used were drawn from a needs assessment survey of 722 veterans. A path model was specified to test direct and indirect effects of combat experiences, non-honorable discharge status, and social connectedness on PTSD symptoms. Results demonstrated positive direct effects for combat experiences and non-honorable discharge status on PTSD symptoms while social connectedness demonstrated a negative direct effect. Both combat experiences and non-honorable discharge status demonstrated negative direct effects on social connectedness and indirect on PTSD through the social connectedness pathway. Study findings indicate social connectedness may be an important factor related to PTSD in veterans as well as an intervention point for mitigating risk related to combat exposure and discharge status.

Concordance between physiological arousal and emotion expression during fear in young children with autism spectrum disorders

This study aimed to measure emotional expression and physiological arousal in response to fear in 21 children with autism spectrum disorders (43-75 months) and 45 typically developing children (41-81 months). Expressions of facial and bodily fear and heart rate arousal were simultaneously measured in response to a remote controlled robot (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery). Heart rate analyses revealed a main effect of task from baseline to fear ( p < 0.001, ηp2 ), no interaction effect and no effect for group. In addition, children with autism spectrum disorder showed intact facial and bodily expressions of fearful affect compared to typically developing children. With regard to the relationship between expression and arousal, the results provided evidence for concordance between expression and arousal in typically developing children ( r = 0.45, n = 45, p < 0.01). For children with autism spectrum disorder, no significant correlation was found ( r = 0.20, n = 21, p = 0.38). A moderation analysis revealed no significant interaction between expression and arousal for children with and without autism spectrum disorder ( F(1, 62) = 1.23, p = 0.27, ηp2 ), which might be the result of limited power. The current results give reason to further study concordance between expression and arousal in early autism spectrum disorder. Discordance might significantly impact social functioning and is an important topic in light of both early identification and treatment.

Loneliness in psychosis: a systematic review

PURPOSE

The aim of the review is to understand the relationships between loneliness and related psychological and social factors in individuals with psychosis. Loneliness is poorly understood in people with psychosis. Given the myriad of social challenges facing individuals with psychosis, these findings can inform psychosocial interventions that specifically target loneliness in this vulnerable group.

METHODS

We adhered to the PRISMA guidelines and systematically reviewed empirical studies that measured loneliness either as a main outcome or as an associated variable in individuals with psychosis.

RESULTS

A total of ten studies examining loneliness in people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder were examined. Heterogeneity in the assessment of loneliness was found, and there were contradictory findings on the relationship between loneliness and psychotic symptomatology. In individuals with psychosis, loneliness may be influenced by psychological and social factors such as increased depression, psychosis, and anxiety, poor social support, poor quality of life, more severe internalised stigma and perceived discrimination, and low self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between loneliness and psychosis remains poorly understood due to a lack of rigorous studies. Although having strong social relationships is crucial to facilitate recovery from serious mental illness, psychosocial interventions that specifically target loneliness in individuals with psychosis are lacking and sorely needed. Interventions targeting loneliness in those with psychosis will also need to account for additional barriers associated with psychosis (e.g., social skill deficits, impoverished social networks, and negative symptoms).

Radically open DBT: Targeting emotional loneliness in Anorexia Nervosa

This article conceptualizes Anorexia Nervosa (AN) as a prototypical overcontrolled disorder, characterized by low receptivity and openness, low flexible control, pervasive inhibited emotional expressiveness, low emotional awareness, and low social connectedness and intimacy with others. As a result, individuals with AN often report high levels of emotional loneliness. A new evidence-based treatment, Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT), and its underlying neuroregulatory theory, offer a novel way of understanding how self-starvation and social signaling deficits are used as maladaptive regulation strategies to reduce negative affect. RO-DBT proposes that rather than trying to be 'emotionally regulated' or achieving equanimity, long-term psychological well-being is achieved by increasing social connectedness. RO-DBT skills, including body posture, gestures, and facial expressions, activate brain regions that increase social safety responses that function to automatically enhance the open-minded and flexible social-signaling, which are crucial for establishing long-term intimate bonds with others and becoming part of a "tribe."

How Social Are Social Media? A Review of Online Social Behaviour and Connectedness

The use of social media is rapidly increasing, and one of the major discussions of the 21st century revolves around how the use of these applications will impact on the social relationships of users. To contribute to this discussion, we present a brief narrative review highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of social media use on three key aspects of social connectedness: social capital, sense of community, and loneliness. The results indicate that using social media can increase social capital, lead to the formation of friendships and communities, and reduce loneliness. However, some social media site users may experience weakening friendships, online ostracism, and heightened loneliness. Therefore, we argue that the use of social media has contradictory effects on social connectedness. Moreover, the direction of these outcomes is contingent upon who is using the site and how they are using it. Based on these arguments, possible directions for future research are discussed. It is recommended that discourse be continued relating to the association between online social behaviour and connectedness, as this will enable researchers to establish whether the positive outcomes of social media use outweigh the negative.