Emotions during Writing on Topics That Align or Misalign with Personal Beliefs

摘要

We conducted a study where 42 participants wrote two essays on opposing stances about abortion (pro-choice and pro-life). Participants' affective states were tracked at 15-second intervals via a retrospective affect judgment protocol. The results indicated participants experienced more boredom when writing essays that did not align with their positions on abortion, but were more engaged when there was alignment. Participants also reported more curiosity while writing pro-choice essays. Importantly, boredom, engagement, and curiosity were the affective states that predicted essay quality.