Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
06:42
Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
Can joy and compassion buffer against hostility following provocation? An experimental study
Li Chen1, Jill Lobbestael1, Samuel Hilgefort1
1Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Acta Psychologica
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Prosocial interventions like compassion and joy did not reduce anger after provocation. Compassion even increased anger, while joy boosted positive feelings, highlighting potential costs of compassion.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Emotion Research
Background:
- Prosocial interventions aim to foster positive emotions and reduce negative ones.
- Compassion and shared joy are explored for their anger-buffering potential.
- Prevention focus, a personality trait, may moderate intervention effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the anger-buffering effects of compassion and shared joy interventions.
- To examine the impact of these interventions on positive and negative affect.
- To explore the moderating role of prevention focus on intervention outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A 3x3 mixed design study with 229 participants.
- Random assignment to joy, compassion, or control conditions.
- Repeated measures of affect at baseline, post-intervention, and post-provocation.
Main Results:
- Neither compassion nor joy interventions significantly buffered anger post-provocation.
- Compassion intervention unexpectedly increased anger across participants.
- Joy intervention increased positive affect; compassion decreased positive and increased negative affect post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- Brief prosocial interventions may not effectively buffer anger against unambiguous provocations.
- Compassion, while potentially beneficial, can have immediate negative emotional costs.
- Future research should explore longer intervention durations and subtler provocations.
Related Concept Videos
02:40The Scientific Method
Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.
01:20Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused
Emotion-focused coping refers to a set of strategies aimed at managing the emotional impact of stressors, rather than directly addressing their causes. This approach involves altering one's emotional response to stressful situations to reduce their psychological effects. For example, individuals might talk with a friend or engage in activities like journaling to express their feelings. Such actions can help achieve emotional clarity or release, providing the psychological stability needed to...
01:47Aggression
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for hire...
01:20Psychological Responses to Stress
Psychological responses to stress encompass the various cognitive and emotional reactions individuals experience when faced with challenging or threatening situations, such as a job loss. Prolonged exposure to stressors can disturb emotional balance, increasing negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and sadness) and diminishing positive emotions (e.g., joy and satisfaction). These persistent emotional shifts are associated with an increased risk of both physical illness and mental health issues, such...
04:49Robbers Cave
During the 1950s, the landmark Robbers Cave experiment demonstrated that when groups must compete with one another, intergroup conflict, hostility, and even violence may result. At the Oklahoman summer camp, two troops of boys—termed the Rattlers and the Eagles—took part in a week-long tournament. During this time, their negativity culminated in derogatory name-calling, fistfights, and even vandalism and destruction of property. However, this work also revealed that such tension could be...
03:20The Stanford Prison Experiment
The famous and controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted by social psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues at Stanford University, demonstrated the power of social roles, social norms, and scripts.