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Cited by 74Conflict Management and NegotiationEmotions and Moral BehaviorSocial Power and Status Dynamics

Does communicating disappointment in negotiations help or hurt? Solving an apparent inconsistency in the social-functional approach to emotions.

Lelieveld, Gert-Jan, Van Dijk, Eric, Van Beest, Ilja, Van Kleef, Gerben A.·2013·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/a0033345
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Abstract

On the basis of a social-functional approach to emotion, scholars have argued that expressing disappointment in negotiations communicates weakness, which may evoke exploitation. Yet, it is also argued that communicating disappointment serves as a call for help, which may elicit generous offers. Our goal was to resolve this apparent inconsistency. We develop the argument that communicating disappointment elicits generous offers when it evokes guilt in the target, but elicits low offers when it does not. In 4 experiments using both verbal (Experiments 1-3) and nonverbal (Experiment 4) emotion manipulations, we demonstrate that the interpersonal effects of disappointment depend on (a) the opponent's group membership and (b) the type of negotiation. When the expresser was an outgroup member and in representative negotiations (i.e., when disappointment did not evoke guilt), the weakness that disappointment communicated elicited lower offers. When the expresser was an ingroup member and in individual negotiations (i.e., when disappointment did evoke guilt), the weakness that disappointment communicated elicited generous offers from participants. Thus, in contrast to the common belief that weakness is a liability in negotiations, expressing disappointment can be effective under particular circumstances. We discuss implications for theorizing about the social functions of emotions.

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Crossref · 10.1037/a0033345

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  • Expressions of disappointment can elicit guilt.

    “expressions of disappointment can elicit guilt”

    From The Social Effects of Emotions (2022) · cites this paper as Lelieveld et al. 2013

  • Verbal and nonverbal expressions of disappointment and worry can elicit concessions from counterparts in negotiations.

    “Furthermore, negotiation studies indicate that verbal as well as nonverbal expressions of disappointment and worry can elicit concessions from counterparts (Lelieveld et al. 2012(Lelieveld et al. , 2013;;Van Kleef et al. 2006).”

    From The Social Effects of Emotions (2022) · cites this paper as Lelieveld et al. 2013

  • Verbal and nonverbal expressions of disappointment elicited more guilt when the counterparts belonged to the same group than when they belonged to a different group.

    “verbal and nonverbal expressions of disappointment elicited more guilt when the counterparts belonged to the same group than when they belonged to a different group”

    From The Social Effects of Emotions (2022) · cites this paper as Lelieveld et al. 2013

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Authors
Lelieveld, G.-J., Van Dijk, E., Van Beest, I., & Van Kleef, G. A.
ORCID
Lelieveld, Gert-Jan
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2013
Volume
105
Issue
4
Pages
605-620
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/a0033345
OpenAlex
W2114397034
Cited by
74
References
99
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1
FWCI
16.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • Research portal (Tilburg University) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Conflict Management and Negotiation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Power and Status Dynamics
Keywords
disappointment, negotiation, guilt, exploitation, group membership, in-group and out-group, social functions of emotion
MeSH terms
Adult, Analysis of Variance, Anger, Communication, Emotions, Fear, Female, Guilt, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Netherlands, Social Behavior, Negotiating, Young Adult

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