Surprise: a belief or an emotion?

Barbara Mellers1, Katrina Fincher, Caitlin Drummond

  • 1Department of Psychology, Solomon Labs, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. mellers@wharton.upenn.edu

Summary

Decision affect theory explains how cognitive assessments shape emotions like surprise. It clarifies why mistaken beliefs influence feelings and why good luck feels better than bad luck.

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