Positive emotions induced by massage do not broaden attention and cognition

Abstract

The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions proposes that positive emotions broaden an individual’s scope of attention and cognition and build personal resources over time (Fredrickson, 1998). In this experiment, the broadening facet of the theory was examined. It was hypothesised that compared with a neutral state, positive emotions would result in; a) broadened scope of attention and b) improved performance on a divergent thinking task. Massage therapy was used to elicit positive emotion. A global-local visual processing task was used to examine scope of attention and an Alternative Uses Test assessed divergent thinking. Massage therapy was found to increase the participants’ experience of serenity, contentment, and happiness. However, no differences in scope of attention or performance on the divergent thinking task were found. The results suggest that not all positive emotions lead to cognitive broadening.