Relations Among Positive Emotions, Appraisals, the Big Five, and Appraisal Style

Abstract

The associations among positive emotions and different personality factors may hold a key to understanding individual differences in emotional experience. The present research sought to examine individual differences by investigating the relationships among 12 positive emotions, 16 appraisals, the Big Five, appraisal style, and positive emotion differentiation. Furthermore, two different appraisal models were compared on their ability to predict four different positive emotions. Participants completed a survey containing the personality and trait measures; they then recalled and wrote about a past positive experience and rated the positive emotions and appraisals with respect to that experience. The Big Five were not significant predictors of appraisal or appraisal style, but significant correlations were found. Positive emotion differentiation was stable across momentary and retrospective situations. In comparing the two appraisal models, only the strongest appraisal predictors emerged as significant predictors of each emotion: happiness, gratitude, pride, and satisfaction/contentment.