Weep and get more: When and why sadness expression is effective in negotiations.

Abstract

Although recently some research has been accumulated on emotional expressions in negotiations, there is little research on whether expressing sadness could have any effect in negotiations. We propose that sadness expressions can increase the expressers' ability to claim value in negotiations because they make recipients experience greater other-concern for the expresser. However, only when the social situation provides recipients with reasons to experience concern for the expresser in the first place, will recipients act on their other-concern and, eventually, concede more to a sad expresser. Three experiments tested this proposition by examining face-to-face, actual negotiations (in which participants interacted with each other). In all 3 experiments, recipients conceded more to a sad expresser when, but only when, features of the social situation provided reasons to experience other-concern for the expresser, namely (a) when recipients perceived the expresser as low power (Experiment 1), (b) when recipients anticipated a future interaction (Experiment 1), (c) when recipients construed the relationship as collaborative in nature (Experiment 2), or (d) when recipients believed that it was inappropriate to blame others (Experiment 3). All 3 experiments showed that the positive effect of sadness expression was mediated by the recipients' greater other-concern. These findings extend previous research on emotional expressions in negotiations by emphasizing a distinct psychological mechanism. Implications for our understanding of sadness, negotiations, and emotions are discussed.

The Impact of Non-normative Displays of Emotion in the Workplace: How Inappropriateness Shapes the Interpersonal Outcomes of Emotional Displays

“…Sadness has received attention in negotiation research. In one study, displays of sadness led to greater concessions from the other side, presumably because the latter felt concern for the person displaying sadness (Sinaceur et al, 2015). In one of their experiments, Sinaceur et al (2015) examined the interaction between the emotion displayed (anger or sadness) and the appropriateness of the emotion.…”

What stops revenge taking? Effects of observed emotional reactions on revenge seeking

“…In vengeful interactions, opponents' displays of sadness could decrease revenge seeking by inducing a greater concern for the antagonist's welfare in the observer. Supportive of this hypothesis, a study showed that negotiators conceded more to interaction partners who expressed sadness, especially if they felt responsible for the other's feeling (Sinaceur, Kopelman, Vasiljevic, & Haag, 2015). Thus, one could hypothesize contrary effects of sad and angry expressions on revenge seeking for interactions in which the person has high power and can risk further escalation of aggression.…”

Logics and Logistics for Future Research: Appropriately Interpreting the Emotional Landscape of Multicultural Negotiation

“…Finally, given the degree to which technology is present in our daily lives, it is imperative to explore the plethora of discrete emotions relevant to negotiation. Not only anger and happiness but also less studied emotions such as anxiety (Brooks & Schweitzer, 2011;Rosette, Kopelman, & Abbott, 2014) and sadness (Sinaceur, Kopelman, Vasiljevic, & Haag, 2015) are relevant to understanding cross-cultural communication via information technology. Future research will help understand whether, and to what degree and intensity, expression of discrete emotion is considered culturally appropriate when communicated face-to-face and via information technology.…”