Limits of symhedonia: the differential role of prior emotional attachment in sympathy and sympathetic joy

Emotion
Edward B Royzman, Paul Rozin

Abstract

Seven studies tested the hypothesis that compared with sympathy symhedonia (sympathy for another's good fortune) is inherently more contingent on prior emotional attachment to its targets. As predicted, Studies 1-4 found that reported attachment was higher for past episodes of symhedonia than for those of sympathy and that recalled incidence of sympathy exceeded that of symhedonia when the target was a stranger. Study 5 showed that whereas symhedonia was significantly higher for high- versus low-attachment targets sympathy was not. Study 6 found that sympathy is more likely than symhedonia when a relationship is strained. Study 7 found that both sympathy and symhedonia are weaker for nonclose (vs. close) others, but the disparity is significantly smaller for sympathy than for symhedonia.

References

May 1, 1989·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·G M Williamson, M S Clark
Sep 1, 1989·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·A TesserW D McIntosh
Nov 1, 1988·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·A Tesser, J E Collins
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Aug 1, 1960·Journal of Consulting Psychology·D P CROWNE, D MARLOWE
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Sep 1, 1998·Review of General Psychology : Journal of Division 1, of the American Psychological Association·Barbara L Fredrickson

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Citations

Jun 28, 2014·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Patrick Colm Hogan
Jul 15, 2011·Cognition·Edward B RoyzmanRobert F Leeman
Jun 19, 2016·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Christian E SalasOliver H Turnbull
Jul 23, 2019·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Janna Katrin Ruessmann, Sascha Topolinski

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