The effects of happiness and hope on executive functions
The notion that positive emotions always yield positive outcomes is compelling, yet prior meta-analytic findings (19 effect sizes) suggest no impact on executive functions. Limitations have been noted regarding the induction of specific positive emotions and assessment quality, especially for cognit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1617975/full |
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| _version_ | 1849236141672235008 |
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| author | Franziska Lautenbach Franziska Lautenbach |
| author_facet | Franziska Lautenbach Franziska Lautenbach |
| author_sort | Franziska Lautenbach |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The notion that positive emotions always yield positive outcomes is compelling, yet prior meta-analytic findings (19 effect sizes) suggest no impact on executive functions. Limitations have been noted regarding the induction of specific positive emotions and assessment quality, especially for cognitive flexibility and working memory. To expand on this, the current studies induced happiness and hope in college students to examine effects on inhibition, cognitive flexibility (study 1, N = 27), and working memory (study 2, N = 30). Results confirmed successful emotion induction and revealed that cognitive flexibility was significantly higher in the happiness condition than in a neutral condition (p = 0.014, d = 0.427). Findings suggest challenges in experimentally differentiating discrete positive emotions and indicate that not all executive functions are equally affected. Overall, these results lend support to Isen’s facilitator theory but should be interpreted with caution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77bd2d86f1e64c8290cc847331df2e13 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-77bd2d86f1e64c8290cc847331df2e132025-08-20T04:02:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-08-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.16179751617975The effects of happiness and hope on executive functionsFranziska Lautenbach0Franziska Lautenbach1Institute of Sport Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berin, Berlin, GermanyFaculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, GermanyThe notion that positive emotions always yield positive outcomes is compelling, yet prior meta-analytic findings (19 effect sizes) suggest no impact on executive functions. Limitations have been noted regarding the induction of specific positive emotions and assessment quality, especially for cognitive flexibility and working memory. To expand on this, the current studies induced happiness and hope in college students to examine effects on inhibition, cognitive flexibility (study 1, N = 27), and working memory (study 2, N = 30). Results confirmed successful emotion induction and revealed that cognitive flexibility was significantly higher in the happiness condition than in a neutral condition (p = 0.014, d = 0.427). Findings suggest challenges in experimentally differentiating discrete positive emotions and indicate that not all executive functions are equally affected. Overall, these results lend support to Isen’s facilitator theory but should be interpreted with caution.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1617975/fullpositive emotioncognitionpositive moodpositive affectpride |
| spellingShingle | Franziska Lautenbach Franziska Lautenbach The effects of happiness and hope on executive functions Frontiers in Psychology positive emotion cognition positive mood positive affect pride |
| title | The effects of happiness and hope on executive functions |
| title_full | The effects of happiness and hope on executive functions |
| title_fullStr | The effects of happiness and hope on executive functions |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of happiness and hope on executive functions |
| title_short | The effects of happiness and hope on executive functions |
| title_sort | effects of happiness and hope on executive functions |
| topic | positive emotion cognition positive mood positive affect pride |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1617975/full |
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