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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

Further evidence for mixed emotions.

Jeff T Larsen¹, A Peter McGraw

¹Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-2051, USA. jeff.larsen@ttu.edu

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

|January 12, 2011

Summary

People can experience mixed emotions, feeling both happy and sad simultaneously. This study provides evidence that positive and negative emotional states are separable in experience, challenging the idea that valence is irreducible.

Area of Science:

Psychology
Cognitive Science
Affective Science

Background:

Emotion theories debate whether valence (pleasantness/unpleasantness) is a unified aspect of emotion or if positivity and negativity are separable.
If valence is irreducible, simultaneous happiness and sadness would be impossible. Separable valence suggests mixed emotions are possible.

Purpose of the Study:

To test alternative explanations for previous findings of co-occurring happiness and sadness in bittersweet situations.
To investigate whether reported mixed emotions stem from vacillation or explicit questioning.

Main Methods:

Studies 1-3 used continuous online measures of happiness and sadness to assess emotional vacillation.
Studies 4-6 employed open-ended emotion measures to explore reporting biases.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

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Published on: May 4, 2011

Exploring the Use of Isolated Expressions and Film Clips to Evaluate Emotion Recognition by People with Traumatic Brain Injury

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Published on: May 15, 2016

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

Published on: August 26, 2011

Experiments controlled for expectations and prior beliefs about simultaneous emotions.

Main Results:

Participants reported more simultaneous mixed emotions during bittersweet stimuli compared to control stimuli.
This pattern persisted regardless of whether participants were explicitly asked about mixed emotions or expected to report them.
Results held even for participants who initially disbelieved in the possibility of simultaneous mixed emotions.

Conclusions:

Positivity and negativity appear to be separable aspects of emotional experience.
The findings support the possibility of experiencing simultaneous happiness and sadness, challenging theories of irreducible valence.