Existential threat and responses to emotional displays of ingroup and outgroup members

Wessler, Janet, van der Schalk, Job ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7968-4721, Hansen, Jochim, Klackl, Johannes, Jonas, Eva, Fons, Maurice, Doosje, Bertjan and Fischer, Agneta 2023. Existential threat and responses to emotional displays of ingroup and outgroup members. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations 26 (8) , pp. 1866-1887. 10.1177/13684302221128229

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Abstract

The present research investigates how emotional displays shape reactions to ingroup and outgroup members when people are reminded of death. We hypothesized that under mortality salience, emotions that signal social distance promote worldview defense (i.e., increased ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation), whereas emotions that signal affiliation promote affiliation need (i.e., reduced ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation). In three studies, participants viewed emotional displays of ingroup and/or outgroup members after a mortality salience or control manipulation. Results revealed that under mortality salience, anger increased ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation (Study 1), enhanced perceived overlap with the ingroup (Study 3), and increased positive facial behavior to ingroup displays—measured via the Facial Action Coding System (Studies 1 and 2) and electromyography of the zygomaticus major muscle (Study 3). In contrast, happiness decreased ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation (Study 2), and increased positive facial behavior towards outgroup members (Study 3). The findings suggest that, in times of threat, emotional displays can determine whether people move away from unfamiliar others or try to form as many friendly relations as possible.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	1368-4302
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 December 2022
Date of Acceptance:	31 August 2022
Last Modified:	19 Dec 2023 14:44
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/154684

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