Handbook of Positive Emotions

This authoritative handbook reviews the breadth of current knowledge about positive emotions: their nature, functions, and consequences for individuals and society. Specific emotions are analyzed in depth, including happiness, pride, romantic love, compassion, gratitude, awe, challenge, and hope. Major theoretical perspectives are presented and cutting-edge research methods explained. The volume addresses neurobiological and physiological aspects of positive emotions as well as their social and intrapersonal contexts. Implications for physical health, coping, and psychopathology are explored, as are connections to organizational functioning and consumer behavior.

About the Author

Michele M. Tugade, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Vassar College, where she directs the Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory. Her research focuses on the function of positive emotions in the coping process, the mechanisms that promote resilience in the face of stress and adversity, and emotion-related processes associated with health and well-being. Dr. Tugade received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Mental Health and is an elected member of the International Society for Research on Emotions. Michelle N. Shiota, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, where she directs the Shiota Psychophysiology Lab for Affective Testing. Her research and publications focus on positive emotion, positive reappraisal, aging and emotion, and emotion in close relationships. Dr. Shiota is an associate editor of the American Psychological Association journal Emotion and coauthor of the textbook Emotion. She is an elected member of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology. Leslie D. Kirby, PhD, is Research Assistant Professor and Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Vanderbilt University, where she codirects the Discrete Emotions and Appraisal Lab. Her research focuses on human emotions from the perspective of appraisal theory, with a particular interest in the differential motivational functions served by various positive emotions. Dr. Kirby received a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Mental Health and is an elected member of the International Society for Research on Emotions.