The Effects of Up-regulated Happiness on Others’ Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Cultural Thinking Style

Past research has suggested that up-regulating displays of happiness leads to positive social outcomes. In my dissertation research, I suggest that whether the up-regulation of displays of happiness leads to positive outcomes depends on observers’ culture. I developed and tested a model of how one aspect of observers’ culture, analytic-holistic thinking, influences the relation between expressers’ displays of happiness and observers’ prosocial behavior. In two studies, I examined how observers’ analytical-holistic thinking moderates the effect of expressers’ inauthentic displays of happiness (regulated through surface acting) and expressers’ authentic displays of happiness (regulated through deep acting) on observers’ prosocial behavior and trust inferences. In a laboratory experiment (Study 1), observers’ analytical-holistic thinking moderated the effect of project leaders’ inauthentic displays of happiness (vs. neutral emotional displays) on observers’ trust in the expresser, but not on observers’ prosocial behavior (time taken to edit a cover letter). In a field fundraising experiment (Study 2), observers’ analytical-holistic thinking moderated the effect of fundraisers’ inauthentic displays of happiness (vs. authentic displays of happiness) on observers’ trust in fundraisers, intentions to volunteer for the charity organization, and monetary donations to the charity organization. Further, observers’ trust in fundraisers mediated the moderating effect of observers’ analytical-holistic thinking on the relation between fundraisers’ inauthentic displays of happiness and observers’ intention to volunteer. Contributions to the literature on the social effects of emotions and to the literature on fundraising and helping as well as practical implications are discussed.Ph