The importance of perceived utility of emotion
To date, the vast majority of emotion research has been devoted to the role of felt affect. In contrast, relatively little is known regarding the role of other, potentially important emotion constructs (commonly referred to as “meta-emotion”). The present research examined the perceived utility of emotion, or the degree to which emotions are perceived to be useful in goal attainment. Due to the novelty of this construct, in four separate projects I examine: (a) the measurement of perceived utility of emotion and the stability of this construct across time and contexts (Projects 1-2); (b) the relation between perceived utility of emotion in attributions and behavioral intentions (Project 3); and (c) the potential importance of perceived utility of emotion in interpersonal sensitivity and depression (Project 4). Findings from the present research suggest that perceived utility of emotion plays a role in individual differences, including depression, even after taking into account felt affect.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign