What is it about positive affect that alters attentional scope?

Abstract

The relationship between positive affect and attentional scope has been of interest for over forty years. Historically, most work has focuses on the relationship of negative affect and attentional scope. For this reason, this article reviews literature on the relationship between positive affect and attentional scope. Many studies have discovered divergent findings of the influence of positive affect on attentional scope, such that some research suggests that all positive affect broadens attentional scope, while other research has found evidence that some positive affects may instead narrow attentional scope. In the current review, we discuss these discrepancies, examine behavioral and physiological evidence, and provide suggestions for incorporating these contrasting findings into one coherent perspective.