Persuasive Communication - How Audiences Decide. 2nd Edition

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Emotions in Audience Decision Making 337

result from uncontrollable situational forces.^322 Incidental sadness affects the audience’s risk/reward


preference as well. For example, job applicants put into a sad mood prefer job opportunities that


offer both high risk and high reward.^323


Audiences put into sad moods generally agree with persuasive messages that emphasize sadden-

ing problems or outcomes. They have more favorable views of a message if it argues that failing to


adopt a position is likely to make bad things happen than if it argues that adopting the position will


make good things happen.^324 In a study of the effects of incidental moods on persuasion, readers


who were in a neutral mood or who were put into a sad mood read one of two equally strong argu-


ments for a proposed tax increase. One argument justifi ed the proposed tax increase by claiming it


would help address saddening problems (e.g., the plight of senior citizens). The other justifi ed the


increase by claiming it would address angering problems (e.g., long traffi c delays). The saddening


reasons, but not the angering ones, persuaded readers in a sad mood. In addition, the sadder a reader


felt, the more positively she responded to the tax proposal justifi ed by the saddening reasons. Nei-


ther type of argument persuaded readers in a neutral mood to support a tax increase.^325


In many cases, audiences put into sad moods will process persuasive messages in a rational and

deliberate way despite their mood.^326 One study asked students to read either strong or weak


arguments for a proposed fi nal examination before graduation. Students put into sad moods were


persuaded only by the strong arguments, whereas students put into happy moods were moderately


persuaded by both strong and weak arguments.^327


The Effects of Incidental Anger


Audiences put into angry moods, such as listeners to politically oriented talk radio, tend to make


optimistic judgments and risk-seeking decisions just as happy people do.^328 But unlike happy


people, audiences put into angry moods overestimate the frequency of angering events.^329 Angry


audiences also believe that negative events caused by human agents are more likely to occur than


sad ones where no one is to blame.^330 Consequently, audiences put into angry moods are more


likely to quickly attribute blame to others, to perceive another’s ambiguous behavior as hostile,


and to punish others for their mistakes.^331 As compared with mock jurors in neutral moods, mock


jurors who are angry are more likely to ignore evidence that would exonerate the defendant.^332 As


compared with voters who are sad, angry voters are more likely to support vengeful policies and


reject policies that are conciliatory.^333


Audiences put into angry moods are less likely to comply with persuasive messages.^334 They

do tend to agree, however, with persuasive messages that emphasize angering problems. In one


study of incidental mood effects, researchers fi rst hypnotized newspaper readers to feel either


anger or disgust and then asked them to read one of two reviews of a local restaurant. One review


consisted of several positive comments as well as several negative comments that were associated


with anger (e.g., an extremely careless waiter). The other review consisted of several positive


comments as well as several negative comments that were associated with disgust (e.g., a view


of the garbage). Readers put into an angry mood formed the most negative attitudes toward the


restaurant after they read the review with the angry comments.^335 In a similar study, readers were


put into an angry or sad mood and then asked to read arguments for a proposed tax increase.


Readers in angry moods were more persuaded by arguments that described the angering conse-


quences of inaction.^336


Audiences put into angry moods tend to process persuasive messages without much rational

thought or deliberation.^337 For example, mock jurors who are put into an angry mood are more


likely than sad ones to convict a defendant on the basis of an ethnic stereotype.^338 Yet because


audience members in an angry mood preferentially attend to arguments hostile to their own

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