Meta-analyses have concluded that positive emotions do not reduce appetitive risk behaviors (risky behaviors that fulfill appetitive or craving states, such as smoking and excessive alcohol use). We propose that this conclusion is premature. Drawing on the Appraisal Tendency Framework and related theories of emotion and decision-making, we hypothesized that gratitude (a positive emotion) can decrease cigarette smoking, a leading cause of premature death globally. A series of multimethod studies provided evidence supporting our hypothesis (collective N = 34,222). Using nationally representative US samples and an international sample drawn from 87 countries, Studies 1 and 2 revealed that gratitude was inversely associated with likelihood of smoking, even after accounting for numerous covariates. Other positive emotions (e.g., compassion) lacked such consistent associations, as expected. Study 3, and its replication, provided further support for emotion specificity: Experimental induction of gratitude, unlike compassion or sadness, reduced cigarette craving compared to a neutral state. Study 4, and its replication, showed that inducing gratitude causally increased smoking cessation behavior, as evidenced by enrollment in a web-based cessation intervention. Self-reported gratitude mediated the effects in both experimental studies. Finally, Study 5 found that current antismoking messaging campaigns by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention primarily evoked sadness and compassion, but seldom gratitude. Together, our studies advance understanding of positive emotion effects on appetitive risk behaviors; they also offer practical implications for the design of public health campaigns.

中文翻译：

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积极情绪在有害健康行为中的作用：对理论和公共卫生运动的影响


荟萃分析得出的结论是，积极情绪不会减少食欲风险行为（满足食欲或渴望状态的风险行为，例如吸烟和过度饮酒）。我们认为这个结论还为时过早。借鉴评估倾向框架以及相关的情感和决策理论，我们假设感恩（一种积极的情绪）可以减少吸烟，吸烟是全球过早死亡的主要原因。一系列多方法研究提供了支持我们假设的证据（集体 N = 34,222）。研究 1 和研究 2 使用具有全国代表性的美国样本和来自 87 个国家的国际样本显示，即使在考虑了众多协变量之后，感激之情与吸烟的可能性呈负相关。正如预期的那样，其他积极情绪（例如同情心）缺乏这种一致的关联。研究 3 及其复制为情绪特异性提供了进一步的支持：与同情或悲伤不同，实验诱导感恩可以减少对香烟的渴望，与中性状态相比。研究 4 及其重复表明，引发感激之情会增加戒烟行为，这一点可以通过参加基于网络的戒烟干预措施来证明。在这两项实验研究中，自我报告的感激之情介导了这种影响。最后，研究 5 发现，美国疾病控制与预防中心当前的反吸烟信息宣传活动主要引起悲伤和同情，但很少引起感激。总之，我们的研究增进了对积极情绪对食欲风险行为影响的理解；它们还为公共卫生运动的设计提供了实际意义。