Meta-analytic evidence that attachment insecurity is associated with less frequent experiences of discrete positive emotions

Yoobin Park; Shayne Sanscartier; Emily A Impett; Sara B Algoe; Nathan D Leonhardt; Kristina Schrage; Cheryl L Carmichael; Nancy L Collins; Francesca Conte; Oreste De Rosa; Gianluca Ficca; Barbara L Fredrickson; Paige Harris; Dacher Keltner; Taylor N West; Geoff MacDonald

doi:10.1111/jopy.12796

Meta-analytic evidence that attachment insecurity is associated with less frequent experiences of discrete positive emotions

J Pers. 2023 Oct;91(5):1223-1238. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12796. Epub 2022 Dec 5.

Authors

Yoobin Park^{1

2}, Shayne Sanscartier¹, Emily A Impett³, Sara B Algoe⁴, Nathan D Leonhardt³, Kristina Schrage¹, Cheryl L Carmichael⁵, Nancy L Collins⁶, Francesca Conte⁷, Oreste De Rosa⁷, Gianluca Ficca⁷, Barbara L Fredrickson⁴, Paige Harris⁶, Dacher Keltner⁸, Taylor N West⁴, Geoff MacDonald¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
² Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College & Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy.
⁸ Department of Psychology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.

PMID: 36401808
PMCID: PMC10195919 (available on 2024-10-01)
DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12796

Abstract

Objective: Individual differences in attachment insecurity can have important implications for experiences of positive emotions. However, existing research on the link between attachment insecurity and positive emotional experiences has typically used a composite measure of positive emotions, overlooking the potential importance of differentiating discrete emotions.

Method: We conducted a meta-analysis of 10 cross-sectional samples (N = 3215), examining how attachment insecurity is associated with self-reported frequency of experiencing positive emotions, with a distinction made between more social (i.e., love and gratitude) and less social (i.e., peace and awe or curiosity) positive emotions.

Results: High (vs. low) levels of both attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with less frequent experience of positive emotions regardless of their social relevance. When analyzing each emotion separately, we found that attachment anxiety showed negative relations to all emotions except gratitude. Attachment avoidance was negatively associated with all emotions, and the link was even stronger with love (vs. peace, awe, or curiosity). Additional analyses of daily diary data revealed that attachment anxiety and avoidance were also negatively associated with daily experiences of positive emotions, regardless of social relevance.

Conclusion: Our results underscore the need to further investigate the mechanisms underlying insecure individuals' blunted positive emotional experiences.

Keywords: affect; attachment; emotional experiences.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anxiety / psychology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotions*
Humans
Object Attachment*
Self Report

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding