Anger, frustration, boredom and the Department of Motor Vehicles: Can negative emotions impede organ donor registration?

The Value of Being Discrete: The Differential and Causal Effects of Positive Affect and Discrete Positive Emotions on Organ Donor Registration Outcomes

“…The first study sought to learn whether donor registration efforts would be more successful if interventions occur in contexts where people typically experience positive or negative affect. In line with research investigating positive affect and prosocial behavior (Isen, ), as well as research looking specifically at affect and organ donation (Rodrigue et al., ; Siegel et al., ), we hypothesised that in comparison to the induction of negative affect, the induction of positive affect would cause people to have more favorable organ donor registration attitudes, intentions, and to be more likely to register as an organ donor.…”

“…In line, the current research effort sought to complement prior correlational investigations (e.g. Rodrigue et al., ; Siegel et al., ) to understand the causal relationship between positive affect, as well as discrete positive emotions, and organ donation registration attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Study 1 assessed the causal relationship between general positive affect and donor registration by randomly assigning non‐donors to receive either a positive or a negative affect induction.…”

“…the specific set of thoughts and feelings that can include physical sensation, appraisal, and motivation that occurs in a specific moment; Fredrickson, ; see Ekkekakis, , for a review) experienced within certain contexts could influence the success or failure of donor registration efforts. For example, a recent set of studies indicated that the experience of negative emotion in certain contexts can cause a reduction in people's willingness to register as organ donors (Siegel et al., ).…”

“…Given that negative emotions, like the ones sometimes experienced within DMVs, have been shown to be associated with reduced organ donor registration intentions (Siegel et al., ), it is worth considering how positive affect and discrete positive emotions influence donor registration outcomes (Rodrigue et al., ). This line of research has potential, as positive affect has been associated with a variety of positive outcomes, such as increased cognitive flexibility (Isen, Niedenthal, & Cantor, ), and most relevant to the current research, enhanced helping behavior (Isen, ; Isen & Levin, ).…”

“…gratitude, happiness), not all discrete positively valenced emotions were significantly related to registration intentions (e.g. feeling courageous; Siegel et al., ). Altogether, these results indicate that further exploration of the relationship between general positive affect, as well as discrete positively valenced emotions, and organ donor registration could offer critical insight into the contexts where organ donor registration interventions might be most successful.…”