Max Planck Institute for Human Development.
Emotion. 2014 Feb;14(1):1-6. doi: 10.1037/a0035210. Epub 2013 Dec 23.
Positive affect is related to cognitive performance in multiple ways. It is associated with motivational aspects of performance, affective states capture attention, and information processing modes are a function of affect. In this study, we examined whether these links are relevant within individuals across time when they experience minor ups and downs of positive affect and work on cognitive tasks in the laboratory on a day-to-day basis. Using a microlongitudinal design, 101 younger adults (20-31 years of age) worked on 3 working memory tasks on about 100 occasions. Every day, they also reported on their momentary affect and their motivation to work on the tasks. In 2 of the 3 tasks, performance was enhanced on days when positive affect was above average. This performance enhancement was also associated with more motivation. Importantly, increases in task performance on days with above-average positive affect were mainly unrelated to variations in negative affect. This study's results are in line with between-person findings suggesting that high levels of well-being are associated with successful outcomes. They imply that success on cognitively demanding tasks is more likely on days when feeling happier.
积极情绪以多种方式与认知表现相关。它与表现的动机方面有关，情绪状态吸引注意力，信息处理模式是情感的函数。在这项研究中，我们研究了当人们在日常生活中每天在实验室中进行认知任务时，经历积极情绪的小起伏时，这些联系是否在个体之间随着时间的推移而相关。使用微纵向设计，101 名年轻成年人（20-31 岁）在大约 100 次的情况下进行了 3 项工作记忆任务。每天，他们还报告了自己的即时情绪和完成任务的动机。在 3 项任务中的 2 项中，积极情绪高于平均水平的日子里，表现得到了提高。这种表现的提高也与更高的动机有关。重要的是，积极情绪高于平均水平的日子里，任务表现的提高与消极情绪的变化主要无关。本研究的结果与个体间的发现一致，表明高水平的幸福感与成功的结果相关。它们意味着在感觉更快乐的日子里，在认知要求高的任务上取得成功的可能性更大。
