How Motivations to Experience Emotions Shape Societal Attitudes

The role of experienced emotions in guiding attitudes toward societal issues is well-established, but the role of motivations to experience emotions is less clear. I will share findings from several projects examining the connections between how people aim to feel (e.g., proud, angry) and societal attitudes (e.g., attitudes toward economic inequality, foreign policy). I will argue that considering individuals' emotional goals can offer insight into sources of disagreement about societal issues.