88ar286 On the Social Influence of Emotions in Groups:Interpersonal Effects of Anger and Happiness on Conformity Versus Deviance Mare W.Heerdink.Gerben Homan,and Agneta H.Fischer How do f 's d of hap e hy the es tcd which co dingly,in Study 2.the av ivegottmedms nd this effec of em sand the role of emotions in groups your react s if annoyedv tion may inform him or ber about how others feel about the emotions of dby the ns of other group members In the pre ch,we 002 20D Ofentimes,the emotions that mot ing ways:happir y shared opn HeteroPydalogy.UaigotAaeAa Emotions in Groups Our theorizing is informed by a social-functionl perspective on r.We otions expressed by individualsor (factions within)groups may e this article should be addressed to Marc affect the behavior of other individual Wees rential proc eby individuals use others m.w.heerdink@uva.nl On the Social Influence of Emotions in Groups: Interpersonal Effects of Anger and Happiness on Conformity Versus Deviance Marc W. Heerdink, Gerben A. van Kleef, Astrid C. Homan, and Agneta H. Fischer University of Amsterdam How do emotional expressions of group members shape conformity versus deviance in groups? We hypothesized that angry and happy responses to a group member’s deviating opinion are interpreted as signals of imminent rejection versus acceptance. In 5 studies, the majority’s expressions of anger led the deviant individual to feel rejected, whereas expressions of happiness made the deviant feel accepted. Because conformity can be seen as strategic behavior aimed at gaining (re)acceptance, the effects of emotional expressions on conformity should be moderated by social-contextual factors that determine the motivation to be accepted by the group and by the extent to which conformity is a means to this end. Accordingly, in Study 2, the availability of alternative groups determined whether a deviant conformed to the current group or abandoned the group after an angry reaction. In Study 3, anger and happiness were only associated with conformity pressure in situations that were perceived as cooperative (rather than competitive). Employing an interactive group task in Study 4, we showed that individuals who received an angry reaction contributed less in a cooperative group task than did those who received a neutral or happy reaction. Finally, in Study 5, peripheral group members conformed more after an angry reaction than after a happy reaction, but prototypical group members did not. Moreover, conformity was still manifest 3 weeks after the experiment, and this effect was mediated by feelings of rejection. We discuss implications of these findings for theorizing about social functions of emotions and the role of emotions in groups. Keywords: conformity, deviance, social influence, emotions, interpersonal effects At a conference, you and several colleagues decide to go out for dinner together. After some discussion, the group decides on finding a pizzeria. After wandering around fruitlessly for a while, you propose to change plans and go to a nearby Asian restaurant instead. Unexpectedly, your colleagues react as if annoyed— even a little angry. Does this negative emotional reaction of your col￾leagues lead you to abandon your new plan and conform to the rest of the group? Or do you decide to leave the group and go to a place that you like? As this example illustrates, emotions are an integral part of group life. Many events that take place in or outside groups trigger emotions in group members by affecting individual or group-based concerns or goals (Smith, 1993)—such as finding a restaurant. Oftentimes, the emotions that are elicited in a group context do not remain private. Rather, they tend to be expressed, deliberately or not, through facial displays, verbal expressions, bodily postures, and tone of voice (Ekman, 1982). Thus, when a group member elicits an emotion in other group members, the expression of this emotion may inform him or her about how others feel about the situation (Keltner & Haidt, 1999). Given how much time most of us spend in groups, it stands to reason that we be influenced by the emotions of our fellow group members. Surprisingly, however, past research has largely neglected the question of how an indi￾vidual group member’s behavior is influenced by the emotional expressions of other group members. In the present research, we examined one important manifestation of such social influence of emotions (van Kleef, van Doorn, Heerdink, & Koning, 2011), namely, the effects of a majority’s emotional expressions on a deviant group member’s behavior. In doing so, we focus on two emotions that have the potential to affect a group member who deviates from a consensually shared opinion or behavior in oppos￾ing ways: happiness and anger. Emotions in Groups Our theorizing is informed by a social–functional perspective on emotion. According to this perspective, emotions serve social functions in dyads, in groups, and between groups alike (e.g., Fischer & Manstead, 2008; Fridlund, 1994; Frijda & Mesquita, 1994; Keltner & Haidt, 1999; Parkinson, 1996; van Kleef, 2009). Emotions expressed by individuals or (factions within) groups may affect the behavior of other individuals or groups via affective processes (e.g., emotional contagion or liking; van Kleef, 2009) or through inferential processes, whereby individuals use others’ emotional expressions to infer information about their motives and This article was published Online First June 17, 2013. Marc W. Heerdink, Gerben A. van Kleef, Astrid C. Homan, and Agneta H. Fischer, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amster￾dam, the Netherlands. This research was facilitated by a grant from the Netherlands Organi￾sation for Scientific Research (NWO 452-09-010) awarded to the second author. We would like to thank Marwan Sinaceur for his helpful guidance in developing the emotion instructions used in Study 4; Stephanie Mertens, Rosa Mulder, and Pomme Woltman for their assistance in setting up and conducting parts of this research; and Verlin Hinsz for valuable sugges￾tions for improving this article. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Marc W. Heerdink, Department of Social Psychology, University of Amster￾dam, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, the Netherlands. E-mail: m.w.heerdink@uva.nl This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology © 2013 American Psychological Association 2013, Vol. 105, No. 2, 262–284 0022-3514/13/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0033362 262