In Conversation: Striving,
Surviving, and Thriving, I wrote at length about emotional valance which
refers to positive (e.g., happy) versus negative (e.g., sad) emotions. Then as
now I asserted that people naturally and mostly unconsciously ascribe a
positive or a negative label to that which they perceive whether that
perception involves a person (e.g., a presidential candidate) or thing (e.g., an
abstract painting). More important, I suggested
that the label powerfully colors what we think and do relative to that which
was labeled.
Yen-Ping Chang and his co-researchers (2016) investigated a particular
feature of valance: how valence influences agency with “agency” meaning one’s
intention to act and/or to actually perform the act. Thus, a person with strong agency feels relatively
capable to complete a challenging task whereas one with weak agency feels
relatively incapable to do so.
The Chang group performed five experiments in attempting to more precisely understand the valence-agency link. Their experimental subjects rated their own current
behavior, their past recalled experiences, characters in hypothetical morally-relevant
situations, positively- acting and negatively-acting fictional characters, and
personified emotions (e.g., “If anger were a person, how would he/she handle
being late for a meeting?).
The study’s results were clear and convincing. Persons experiencing a positive emotional
state most often regarded themselves as being more capable of achieving an
outcome than those experiencing a neutral or negative emotional state. Feeling good seemed to promote a feeling of
competence. That intrapersonal consequence
of valence-agency was confidently anticipated.
On the other hand, not expected was the interpersonal consequence of valence-agency. The study found that others who observed subjects that they believed to be in a positive emotional state also considered them
to be more capable. And, conversely, others
who believed observed subjects to be in a negative emotional state also considered
them less capable.
Emotional valence of course is related to well-being. Persons in a positive emotional state not
only feel good but they also are more likely to be in a more relaxed
condition. And, by definition, relaxed persons are less
assailed by stress hormones.
Now add the agency effect. Since
feeling positively tends to be accompanied by feeling more capable, such positive times
offer the best chance for you to initiate and to sustain healthful lifestyle
behavior. Moreover, your positive state
probably will be perceived by observing others who will consciously and/or
unconsciously presume that you are more capable of achieving your healthful
goals and, therefore, be more deliberately or inadvertently supportive of you in those endeavors.
Therefore, the more you can cultivate within yourself positive
emotional valence, the more agency you will experience, and the more empowered you will be to become healthier in body as
well as mind.
Chang, Y-P., et al., (2016)
Affective Valence Signals Agency Within and Between Individuals.
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