Shades of Joy: Patterns of Appraisal Differentiating Pleasant Emotions

TLDR

Pleasant experiences are thought to be less emotionally differentiated than unpleasant ones, as theories typically identify many negative emotions but only one or two positive emotions. This study systematically investigates how pleasant emotions differentiate. Participants recalled pleasant experiences tied to manipulated situational appraisals of effort, agency, and certainty, and described the associated appraisals and emotions. Results show that while positive emotions are less differentiated than negative ones, six distinct pleasant emotions—interest, hope/confidence, challenge, tranquility, playfulness, and love—were identified, each varying across appraisal conditions with unique appraisal patterns.

Abstract

Abstract Pleasant experience appears to be less emotionally differentiated than unpleasant experience. For instance, theories of emotion typically posit the existence of six or seven unpleasant emotions but often posit only one or two pleasant emotions. The present study is an attempt to systematically examine the differentiation of pleasant emotional experience. Subjects were asked to recall pleasant experiences that were associated with particular situational appraisals—appraisals of effort, agency, and certainty were systematically manipulated—and to describe their appraisals and emotions during these experiences. The results indicated that positive emotions, and their associated appraisals, are somewhat less differentiated than negative emotions, but nonetheless provided evidence of considerable differentiation among six pleasantly toned emotions (interest, hope/confidence, challenge, tranquillity, playfulness, and love). Each of these latter emotions was experienced differentially across the appraisal conditions, and was characterised by a distinct pattern of appraisal.