EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1037/emo0001645
Haiyang Yu, Longxuan Zheng, Lige Luo, Yuqing Yan, Qian Hu, Pengfei Han
{"title":"Acute stress reduces affective habituation to unpleasant odors in men with blunted cortisol reactivity.","authors":"Haiyang Yu, Longxuan Zheng, Lige Luo, Yuqing Yan, Qian Hu, Pengfei Han","doi":"10.1037/emo0001645","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001645","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Habituation to pleasant or unpleasant odors may reflect a dynamic affective process influenced by individuals' physiological and psychological states. This study investigated the effects of acute stress on habituation patterns to odors with varying valence. Forty male participants from an ethnically homogeneous Chinese sample completed the socially evaluated cold pressor task and a control task in randomized order. Participants then performed two olfactory habituation tasks, which involved 20 consecutive presentations of positive-valence odors (phenethyl alcohol or orange oil) and negative-valence odors (4-methylpentanoic acid or 1-butanol; NVO). Generalized linear mixed-effects model analyses revealed that acute stress reduced affective habituation to NVO, <i>F</i>(1, 51) = 4.6, <i>p</i> = .037, but accelerated habituation to positive-valence odors, <i>F</i>(1, 41) = 29.1, <i>p</i> < .001. Higher cortisol responses were marginally associated with faster habituation to NVO (<i>r</i> = .33, <i>p</i> = .055). Exploratory analyses indicated that stress-related reductions in affective habituation to NVO were observed among cortisol nonresponders, but not responders. These findings suggest that acute psychosocial stress alters affective habituation to odors in a valence-dependent manner, with cortisol responses potentially contributing to this modulation. Future research with larger, mixed-gender samples is needed to examine the generalizability of these results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1304-1314"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145935480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1037/emo0001633
Mario Wenzel, Whitney R Ringwald, Aleksandra Kaurin, Oliver Tüscher, Thomas Kubiak, Aidan G C Wright
{"title":"Affective variability prospectively predicts higher affective well-being, but only when people feel low.","authors":"Mario Wenzel, Whitney R Ringwald, Aleksandra Kaurin, Oliver Tüscher, Thomas Kubiak, Aidan G C Wright","doi":"10.1037/emo0001633","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001633","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Previous studies have predominantly viewed affective variability as detrimental to well-being, suggesting an unstable emotional state. However, research on early warning signs of affective disorders suggests that affective variability may also be adaptive, particularly when individuals' affective well-being is low. Here, we sought to test that greater affective variability would predict increased affective well-being over time (Hypothesis 1), or that better affective well-being would lead to lower affective variability over time (Hypothesis 2), and that the first relationship would be stronger for individuals with low prior levels of affective well-being (Hypothesis 3) and weaker for individuals high in neuroticism (Hypothesis 4). We tested this set of hypotheses by reanalyzing 14 ambulatory assessment data sets (<i>N</i> = 2,374 participants with 25,478 observations at the day level). Our integrative data analysis revealed that greater affective variability at time <i>t</i>₁ was significantly associated with better subsequent affective well-being at time <i>t</i>₂ at the day and year level. In addition, this association was significantly moderated by initial levels of affective well-being and by neuroticism, although the evidence for the latter was limited. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between within-person processes and between-person differences: Experiencing greater affective variability relative to others may indicate a lower level of overall affective well-being. At the same time, experiencing greater affective variability when feeling lower than usual may signal the potential for improvement in one's affective experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1080-1092"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145935501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1037/emo0001649
Sara Velazquez, Meghan Whalen, Abigail Beech, Eugenia Zhukovsky, Nur Akpolat, M Alexandra Kredlow
{"title":"The relationship between dispositional cognitive reappraisal and the efficacy of a cognitive restructuring manipulation following fear conditioning.","authors":"Sara Velazquez, Meghan Whalen, Abigail Beech, Eugenia Zhukovsky, Nur Akpolat, M Alexandra Kredlow","doi":"10.1037/emo0001649","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001649","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dispositional cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation skill that involves reframing thoughts about a situation to improve emotional responses, may be an important factor in predicting response to cognitive restructuring. This study examines whether dispositional cognitive reappraisal skills are associated with the efficacy of a lab-based cognitive restructuring manipulation in reducing physiological conditioned fear responses. Psychiatrically healthy participants (<i>n</i> = 107) completed fear acquisition on Day 1, followed by a cognitive restructuring manipulation or control task on Day 2 and a test of physiological fear responses and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire on Day 3. A significant interaction between manipulation and dispositional cognitive reappraisal skills was observed (<i>p</i> < .05). Specifically, among participants who completed the lab-based cognitive restructuring manipulation, participants with low reappraisal skills showed greater decreases in conditioned fear responses than participants with high reappraisal skills. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and determine whether they would extend to clinical populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1212-1227"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146087238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1037/emo0001655
Kuan-Ju Huang
{"title":"Relational mobility promotes optimism and willingness to delay happiness.","authors":"Kuan-Ju Huang","doi":"10.1037/emo0001655","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001655","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Are you willing to trade some present happiness for a better future? This study examined cross-country variation in delaying happiness-the belief that sacrificing current joy is worthwhile for long-term happiness. Using nationally representative data from 22 countries (<i>N</i> > 200,000), Study 1 showed that people in countries with high relational mobility (e.g., North and Latin America) were more likely to delay happiness than those in countries with lower mobility (e.g., East Asia). Other national-level variables such as national wealth, income inequality, and individualism-collectivism did not account for this difference. Study 2 replicated the link between relational mobility and delaying happiness in two countries (<i>N</i> = 785) and further tested the mediating roles of sense of control and optimism. We also showed that delaying happiness is associated with different domains of well-being, including happiness/satisfaction, meaning/purpose, and balance/harmony, at both the individual and country levels. These findings suggest that social ecologies that afford greater relational freedom may foster a sense of control over one's current situation and an optimistic view of the future, which in turn encourages the pursuit of long-term happiness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1047-1057"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146087105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1037/emo0001627
Gabriella Silva, Haya Fatimah, Marina Bornovalova, Jonathan A Rottenberg, Fallon R Goodman
{"title":"The emotional and motivational aftermath of everyday rejection.","authors":"Gabriella Silva, Haya Fatimah, Marina Bornovalova, Jonathan A Rottenberg, Fallon R Goodman","doi":"10.1037/emo0001627","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001627","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although rejection is a universal human experience, the short- and long-term social and emotional consequences of naturally occurring rejection are understudied. Using two experience-sampling designs, we delineated the concurrent and prospective sequelae of rejection. Study 1 used daily diary data collected in 2020 to examine how rejection experiences predicted daily emotional well-being and social motivation in 269 participants (age range = 18-73) screened for social anxiety and/or depression symptoms. Study 2 used denser, within-day sampling via ecological momentary assessment data collected in 2021 and multivariate, temporal network analyses to examine the direct and indirect effects of rejection on socioemotional factors in 96 participants (age range = 18-66) with and without social anxiety disorder. In Study 1, feeling rejected during daily social interactions predicted same-day increases in negative emotions (i.e., sadness, anger, irritability), decreases in approach motivation, and increases in avoidance motivation, but none of these effects persisted to the next day. In Study 2, feeling rejected concurrently and temporally predicted increased negative emotions (i.e., loneliness, sadness, embarrassment, hurt, anger, and irritability) and desire to be alone. Temporal network analyses yielded evidence of direct and indirect feedback loops between rejection and feeling hurt and angry that might maintain a cycle of negative affect and rejection feelings. Sensitivity analyses indicated that social anxiety moderated some reciprocal effects between rejection and social motivation. Together, these findings shed new light on the potency of naturally occurring rejection and why its consequences can be so difficult to counteract. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1241-1257"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146087242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-19DOI: 10.1037/emo0001647
Nicholas Chiang, Akram Bakkour
{"title":"The memory palace architect: Effect of valence on loci-dependent recall performance.","authors":"Nicholas Chiang, Akram Bakkour","doi":"10.1037/emo0001647","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001647","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Method of loci (MOL) is a strategy heavily utilized by superior memorists that leverages visualizations of familiar spatial environments (memory palaces) to enhance information recall. The characteristics of memory palaces used in MOL have not been well-studied. Yet, understanding how different memory palace features contribute to memory enhancement may allow us to design optimal palaces. Here, we examined whether memory palace valence influences neutral information recall. We found that participants (U.S. adults) who applied MOL using a negatively valenced palace (<i>N</i> = 40) outperformed participants who applied MOL using a positively valenced palace (<i>N</i> = 38) and participants in a non-MOL control group (<i>N</i> = 47) on a word recall test. Furthermore, participants who perceived the negative palace more negatively or positive palace more positively exhibited greater recall accuracy, but overall, the negative group outperformed the positive group. We replicated these findings in an independent sample of participants tested on their memory for steps in the process of making a floral paperweight. Again, the negative group (<i>N</i> = 33) outperformed the positive (<i>N</i> = 34) and control (<i>N</i> = 31) groups. These findings highlight that memory palaces can be constructed to optimize loci-dependent memory accuracy, providing new evidence-based strategies to improve memorization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1195-1211"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146012653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1037/emo0001650
Alexander C Walker, Jae-Young Son, Yi Yang Teoh, Oriel FeldmanHall
{"title":"The emotional cost of political engagement.","authors":"Alexander C Walker, Jae-Young Son, Yi Yang Teoh, Oriel FeldmanHall","doi":"10.1037/emo0001650","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001650","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Political polarization is increasingly recognized as a critical threat to individual and collective well-being. Prevailing frameworks suggest that political engagement diminishes well-being by evoking negative emotions, which act as chronic stressors. However, the relationship between politics and emotion has largely been investigated by relying on static snapshots of emotional reactions to political events, overlooking how well-being is impacted by the temporal dynamics of political engagement and associated emotional responses. Across two longitudinal experience-sampling studies that include long-form \"diary\" responses (<i>N</i> = 259, 1,788 observations), we examine how political engagement shapes daily affective experiences. Contrary to the prevailing notion that engaging with politics leads to sustained negative moods, we find that political engagement is characterized by heightened affective instability-that is, frequent and large fluctuations in affective states-which, in turn, predicts lower well-being (i.e., greater anxiety). Politically polarizing events are particularly destabilizing when they are highly salient and when individuals spontaneously engage with these events. Strong partisans on both ends of the political spectrum also show the greatest fluctuations in daily affect, characteristic of an unstable emotional life. By observing that political engagement is intimately tied to increased affective instability, this research reveals an overlooked emotional cost of political involvement. These findings open new avenues for understanding and mitigating the emotional and mental health consequences of political engagement in an era of deepening divides. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1258-1272"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146143801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-19DOI: 10.1037/emo0001628
Yonatan Perelman, Niv Reggev, Eran Bar-Kalifa
{"title":"The role of mindfulness in attenuating the adverse effects of daily negative events: An experience sampling study.","authors":"Yonatan Perelman, Niv Reggev, Eran Bar-Kalifa","doi":"10.1037/emo0001628","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001628","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mindfulness is robustly associated with psychological and physiological well-being. To date, studies have primarily focused on trait mindfulness while neglecting its state-level momentary regulatory effects on daily stress. This preregistered study investigated the effects of state mindfulness on participants' momentary mood and physiological arousal in cohorts sampled between 2021 and 2024. Using the experience sampling method, 100 cohabiting couples (<i>N</i> = 200) completed five daily surveys for 16 days, and reported on their experiences of stressors (adverse events), state mindfulness levels, positive mood, and negative mood, while wearing Fitbit devices to monitor their heart rate. The registered analyses mainly demonstrated main effects (but no buffering effects) for state mindfulness. Specifically, state mindfulness predicted higher positive mood and lower heart rate among women. No association was found with negative mood, and state mindfulness did not moderate the relationship between stressors and stress response (mood and heart rate). However, secondary registered analyses, using a State Mindfulness Scale with more items, showed support for the mindfulness buffering effect, and indicated that negative events were associated with men's heart rate when mindfulness was low. Overall, these results underscore the importance of studying state-level mindfulness and pave the way for future research on how momentary mindfulness can enhance emotion regulation, which in turn may help promote well-being in daily life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1181-1194"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146012752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1037/emo0001639
Ottmar V Lipp, Belinda M Craig, Ursula Hess
{"title":"The positive facial expression advantage: Facilitated recognition of surprise, pride, and awe.","authors":"Ottmar V Lipp, Belinda M Craig, Ursula Hess","doi":"10.1037/emo0001639","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001639","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Past research has shown that facial expressions of happiness are recognized faster than negative expressions such as anger. This happy face advantage is influenced by facial social category cues; it is larger for faces that are female, young, or represent an ethnic ingroup. The phenomenon of the happy face advantage as well as the influence of social cues on recognition of happy expressions is best explained by the evaluative congruence account. This account holds that more positively evaluated expressions are recognized faster in positive contexts (including on positively evaluated faces). The evaluative congruence account also predicts that similar recognition advantages should emerge for other positive expressions, not just for happiness. This prediction was tested across three experiments. Undergraduate student participants were asked to recognize positively and negatively evaluated surprise versus anger expressions (Experiments 1 and 2) or happiness, pride, and awe versus anger expressions (Experiment 3) on female and male faces as quickly and accurately as possible. Consistent with the predictions of the evaluative congruence account, expressions of surprise, happiness, pride, and awe were recognized faster than expressions of anger on female faces, whereas a similar recognition advantage was smaller or absent on male faces. In line with the evaluative congruence account, these findings indicate that the happy face advantage may be a special case of a broader positive facial expression advantage in speeded expression recognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1093-1106"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145935580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EmotionPub Date : 2026-08-01Epub Date: 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1037/emo0001619
Elenor Morgenroth, Rukshani Somarathna, Dimitri Van De Ville, Gelareh Mohammadi, Patrik Vuilleumier
{"title":"Dissecting appraisal and multicomponential features of emotion: Evidence from multilevel annotation during naturalistic stimulation.","authors":"Elenor Morgenroth, Rukshani Somarathna, Dimitri Van De Ville, Gelareh Mohammadi, Patrik Vuilleumier","doi":"10.1037/emo0001619","DOIUrl":"10.1037/emo0001619","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study described the relationship between discrete emotions and their underlying components from a detailed data set of continuous annotations of more than 50 emotion variables during short films. Theoretical accounts such as appraisal models predict that emotions arise through a combination of distinctive components engaged by the evaluation of different situational dimensions. Here we build on the component process model that highlights a prime role of appraisals which determine motivation, expression, physiology, and feeling features associated with emotion experience. We obtained continuous annotations from all these domains during movie watching and observed a hierarchical organization of discrete emotions by appraisal of valence and self-relevance. Furthermore, we applied predictive models to understand the contribution of different emotion components to discrete emotion categories. We found that all 13 discrete emotions in our data set were reliably predicted as a function of particular emotion components. Our study contributed key insights using rich descriptors and machine learning to dissect the nature of emotion and supports the notion that appraisal processes are a key component in the differentiation of emotion experience. These findings also have implications on the complexity and function of emotion as an adaptive process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48417,"journal":{"name":"Emotion","volume":" ","pages":"1133-1147"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145960673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}