Positive and negative emotions uniquely capture attention

Previous research demonstrates that the attentional system is capable of redirecting focus to threatening information under periods of pressure. This bias may enable specific action tendencies capable of initiating thoughts and actions that promote adaptive life functions. However, relatively little is known about whether the attentional system is biased to detect positive information during times in which positive emotions are prevalent in everyday situations. The current study attempted to determine whether the attentional system is predisposed to detect negative information under periods of high pressure and positive information during periods of low pressure. Participants included 69 undergraduate students who completed a color-word Emotional Stroop task. Results indicated that time pressure differentially impacted attention bias for individual emotions, such that negative emotions were most interfering during periods of high time pressure, whereas positive emotions became most interfering as time pressure diminished. Findings have important implications, as they suggest that the attentional system is biased to detect emotional information that is most adaptive under specific circumstances.