Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Volume 23, Issue 2, 2018, Pages 346-357

Positive thinking elevates tolerance: Experimental effects of happiness on adolescents’ attitudes toward asylum seekers (Article)

Tenenbaum H.R.* , Capelos T. , Lorimer J. , Stocks T.
  • a School of Psychology, University of Surrey, United Kingdom
  • b School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
  • c Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, United Kingdom
  • d School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

Abstract

Inducing emotional reactions toward social groups can influence individuals’ political tolerance. This study examines the influence of incidental fear and happiness on adolescents’ tolerant attitudes and feelings toward young Muslim asylum seekers. In our experiment, 219 16- to 21-year-olds completed measures of prejudicial attitudes. After being induced to feel happiness, fear, or no emotion (control), participants reported their tolerant attitudes and feelings toward asylum-seeking young people. Participants assigned to the happiness condition demonstrated more tolerant attitudes toward asylum-seeking young people than did those assigned to the fear or control conditions. Participants in the control condition did not differ from participants in the fear condition. The participants in the happiness condition also had more positive feelings toward asylum-seeking young people than did participants in the control condition. The findings suggest that one way to increase positive attitudes toward asylum-seeking young people is to improve general emotional state. © 2018, © The Author(s) 2018.

Author Keywords

Attitudes Tolerance Asylum seekers incidental emotions social reasoning Adolescents

Index Keywords

refugee mental health human Refugees controlled study randomized controlled trial Happiness asylum seeker Young Adult Muslim Humans psychology attitude Adolescent male female Article thinking human experiment optimism Fear
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85044435932&doi=10.1177%2f1359104518755217&partnerID=40&md5=ff27501fb4c51c511ff3824ea10f2948
DOI: 10.1177/1359104518755217
ISSN: 13591045
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English