Religion as a source of variation in the experience of positive and negative emotions
Authors:
Chu Kim-Prieto a;
Ed Diener b
| Affiliations: | a Department of Psychology, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, USA |
| b University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA and the Gallup Organization, Washington, DC, USA |
DOI:
10.1080/17439760903271025
Publication Frequency:
6 issues per year
Subjects:
Attitudes & Persuasion;
Behavioral Medicine;
Career & Lifestyle Development;
Coaching;
Counseling;
Developmental Psychology;
Health Psychology;
Marriage, Family & Sex Therapy;
Multidisciplinary Psychology;
Personal Development;
Personality;
Positive Psychology;
Religion;
Religion & Psychology;
Religion in Context;
Self Help Resources;
Social Psychology;
Work & Organizational Psychology;
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Abstract
In a series of three studies, we examined the ways in which religion informs the individual experience and valuation of emotions. In Study 1, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish participants (N = 7231) in 49 nations reported the frequency with which they experienced nine discrete emotions. Results indicate group level differences in the frequency with which different emotions are experienced. Study 2 examined whether the patterns of emotional experiences found in Study 1 replicated in the valuation of those emotions by the adherents of those different religious traditions. Study 3 experimentally manipulated the salience of religious identity to examine the effect of religion on the current experience of emotions. Across the studies, findings provide evidence that religion (e.g., Christianity, Buddhism, etc) is related to the experience of, and beliefs about, emotional states. Implications for the study of happiness and positive psychology are discussed in light of the findings.
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| Keywords: religion; happiness; culture and emotion; religious diversity |
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