Persuasive Communication - How Audiences Decide. 2nd Edition

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