Finding a balance: modulatory effects of positive affect on attentional and cognitive control

Abstract

Positive affect has been linked to increased flexibility in disparate domains, however, conclusions across these domains are still missing. In this review, we focus on flexibility studied in the context of cognitive control and attention, where striking similarities are observed. Positive affect increases flexibility and broadens attention at the cost of stability or goal maintenance. Importantly, these effects are associated with low levels of approach motivation, whereas when approach motivation is high, goal maintenance and narrowed attention is enhanced. Accordingly, this review suggests that effects of positive affect on cognition could be domain general, but they depend on levels of approach motivation. More research is needed to assess if they could be extrapolated to other aspects of cognition.