The influence of emotions on information processing and persuasion: A differential appraisals perspective

The present research demonstrates for the first time that the very same emotion can influence information processing and persuasion depending on the appraisal of the emotion that is highlighted. Across studies, we predicted and found that anger, surprise, and awe can each lead to relatively higher or lower levels of information processing depending on whether it is the appraisal of pleasantness/unpleasantness or the appraisal of confidence/doubt within each of these emotions that is salient. When individuals focus on the unpleasantness that accompanies anger, relatively higher levels of processing occur (as indicated by more argument quality discrimination in attitudes) compared to when angry individuals focus on the confidence appraisal. In the latter case they process information to a relatively lesser degree (as illustrated by reduced argument quality effects on attitudes). The opposite interaction beween appraisal and argument quality was found for relatively more pleassant but uncertain emotions, such as surprise and awe. These effects of emotion on information processing were mediated by changes in thought favorability, and led to behavioral consequences. Importantly, the present studies also specify under what conditions the appraisals of the same emotion influence persuasion by affecting processing or by influencing meta-cognitive processes such as thought validation (Brinol et al. 2018), with the timing of the inductions playing a critical role.