Light makeup decreases receivers’ negative emotional experience

Makeup is widely used in modern society and has a positive effect on perceived attractiveness. However, little is known about the other possible outcomes of makeup use. In this study, we investigated whether makeup enhances a receiver’s emotional experience. Dynamic faces with or without makeup are presented in Experiments 1 and 2. Participants were asked to imagine themselves video chatting with a target person (expresser) with different expressions: neutral, angry, sad, or happy, and then to appraise their own subjective emotional experience. Emotional valence, arousal, and willingness to communicate were also assessed in Experiment 2. The results showed that makeup improved perceived facial attractiveness and increased the willingness to communicate. More importantly, it revealed that wearing makeup could weaken receivers’ negative experiences arising from the angry and sad conditions, which is not the case for the non-makeup condition, but could not affect the happy contagion. Furthermore, incremental changes in the amount of makeup were not accompanied by incremental changes in emotional appraisal (valence and arousal). Overall, we found that makeup may affect emotional contagion and interpersonal communication. Whether the alleviated negative experience due to makeup is adaptive may need further discussion.

Cognitive and Emotional Appraisal of Motivational Interviewing Statements: An Event-Related Potential Study

The counseling process involves attention, emotional perception, cognitive appraisal, and decision-making. This study aimed to investigate cognitive appraisal and the associated emotional processes when reading short therapists' statements of motivational interviewing (MI). Thirty participants with work injuries were classified into the pre-contemplation (PC, n = 15) or readiness stage of the change group (RD, n = 15). The participants viewed MI congruent (MI-C), MI incongruent (MI-INC), or control phrases during which their electroencephalograms were captured. The results indicated significant Group × Condition effects in the frontally oriented late positive complex (P600/LPC). The P600/LPC's amplitudes were more positive-going in the PC than in the RD group for the MI congruent statements. Within the PC group, the amplitudes of the N400 were significantly correlated (r = 0.607–0.649) with the participants' level of negative affect. Our findings suggest that the brief contents of MI statements alone can elicit late cognitive and emotional appraisal processes beyond semantic processing.

Psychological States and Training Habits during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Spanish Basketball Athletes

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions designed to slow the spread of infection greatly disrupted people’s lives. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of lockdown on the psychology, training, and sleep habits of a cohort of basketball players. An online survey involving 169 professional and amateur athletes was conducted using four validated psychological questionnaires (WLEIS-S, POMS, BRS, SMS-II) and a Likert scale to measure the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and training variables. Gender differences in fatigue (p = 0.022); friendships (p = 0.017); others’ emotional appraisal (p < 0.001); and resilience (p = 0.031) were apparent, with higher values for women in all categories bar resilience. Comparisons before and during the lockdown revealed that all participants reduced their RPE (p < 0.001); training days (p = 0.004); and training hours (p < 0.001), and experienced a decline in the quality of sleep (p < 0.001). Sleep hours (p < 0.001) increased during lockdown. The professionals and females maintained their training days (p > 0.05), while the non-professionals and males did not. Psychological states during lockdown were a predictor of the differences in training and recovery variables. In situations where training and competition are limited, it is important to develop plans to maintain physical activity, good quality sleep, and promote greater emotional management and understanding to control negative moods.

Subjective experiences of dissociative and conversion disorders among adolescents in India

Dissociative/conversion disorders affect almost 31% of children and adolescents in a clinical setting. These children experience significant impairments in their academics, and daily functioning, with high chances of developing other psychiatric comorbidities such as anxiety and depression. However, there are no studies that explore the experiences of suffering from dissociative/conversion disorders from perspective of the sufferer. Therefore, the paper has aimed at exploring the subjective experiences of dissociative and conversion disorders among adolescents in the Indian context by examining their understanding about the illness and the reason they ascribe to the cause of their illness. The study used a qualitative semi-structured interview to understand their illness. In total, 10 adolescents of age group between 12 and 16 years participated. Eight out of the 10 participants were female and the mean age was 12 years. All of them were in-patients in the department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NIMHANS, which is the tertiary mental health care Institute India and pioneer Institute of mental health in Asia. All participants have had at least one or more consultation history either with a traditional healer or/and physician. Thematic analysis identified vital themes such as (1) Adolescents’ attributing factors of the illness, (2) Cognitive and emotional appraisal of stressful situation/s, (3) Adolescents’ appraisal of different explanatory model, (4) Living with the Impact of the illness. This analysis about dissociative/conversion disorders from adolescents’ perspective has a major contribution in enhancing the clinical knowledge and practice in planning and managing children/adolescents diagnosed with dissociative/conversion disorders.

When your favorites disappoint: Self-construal influences response to disappointing brand experiences

This research examined the effect of self-construal (independent vs. interdependent) on people’s responses to disappointing brand experiences. We propose that following a disappointing brand experience, independents are more likely than interdependents to express intentions for negative behavior. This effect is due to differences in the importance ascribed to various goals: independents are focused on their own personal goals and expectations, whereas interdependents are focused on maintaining pleasant and harmonious relationships. Consequently, when independents experience disappointment (i.e., their expectations are not met), they appraise the situation as less pleasant than do interdependents. Independents are thus more likely to experience negative emotions, which in turn lead to negative behavioral intentions. Three studies, in which self-construal was primed, supported this prediction. In experiment 1 participants imagined a sports event where their favorite team played carelessly and lost. Participants in the independent (vs. interdependent) prime condition were more likely to express intentions of negative behavior toward the sports team; negative emotions partially mediated this effect. Experiment 2 provides evidence for the mediating role of emotional appraisal in the extent to which the disappointing experience (sports event) is perceived as unpleasant. Experiment 3 replicates these findings in the context of service failure at a restaurant. It also provides evidence for the role of prior expectations in this effect, demonstrating that the effect occurs only when participants have prior expectations, and does not occur in their absence. This research sheds light on the effects of self-construal on emotional and behavioral responses to negative brand experiences, and highlights the processes underlying these effects.

EXPRESS: In the hands of the beholder: Wearing a COVID-19 mask is associated with its attractiveness

Protective facial masks reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection and save lives. Yet a substantial number of people have been resistant to wearing them. Considerable effort has been invested in convincing people to put on a mask, if not for their own sake than for those more vulnerable. Social and cognitive psychologists know that use and liking go both ways: people use what they like, and they like what they use. Here we asked whether positive attitudes towards facial masks were higher in those who had been wearing them longer. We asked participants in a diverse sample (N=498 from 5 countries and over 30 US states) to rate how attractive and emotionally arousing masks and other objects associated with COVID-19 were in comparison to neutral objects, as well as reporting on their mask-wearing habits. To confirm reliability of findings, the experiment was repeated in a subset of participants 8-10 weeks later. The findings show that regular use of protective masks was linked to their positive appraisal, with a higher frequency and a longer history of wearing a mask predicting increased mask attractiveness. These results extended to other COVID related objects relative to controls. They also provide critical ecological validity for the idea that emotional appraisal of everyday objects is associated with our experience of using them. Practically, they imply that societal measures to encourage mask wearing may have contributed to positive emotional appraisals in those who put them on, whether due to personal choice or societal pressure.

Light Makeup Decreases Receivers’ Negative Emotional Experience

Makeup is widely used in modern society and has a positive effect on perceived attractiveness. However, little is known about the other possible outcomes of makeup use. In this study, we investigated whether makeup enhances a receiver’s emotional experience. Dynamic faces with or without makeup are presented in Experiments 1 and 2. Participants were asked to imagine themselves video chatting with a target person (expresser) with different expressions: neutral, angry, sad, or happy, and then to appraise their own subjective emotional experience. Emotional valence, arousal, and willingness to communicate were also assessed in Experiment 2. The results showed that makeup improved perceived facial attractiveness and increased the willingness to communicate. More importantly, it revealed that wearing makeup could weaken receivers’ negative experiences arising from the angry and sad conditions, which is not the case for the non-makeup condition, but could not affect the happy contagion. Furthermore, incremental changes in the amount of makeup were not accompanied by incremental changes in emotional appraisal (valence and arousal). Overall, we found that makeup may affect emotional contagion and interpersonal communication. Whether the alleviated negative experience due to makeup is adaptive may need further discussion.