The Expression of Determination:

This set of studies examines the perceptual similarities between emotions that share either a valence or a motivational direction. Determination is a positive, approach-related emotion, whereas anger is a negative, approach-related emotion. Thus, determination and anger share a motivational direction, but are opposite in valence. An implemental mindset has previously been shown to produce high-approach motivated, positive affect. Thus, in Study 1, participants were asked to freely report the strongest emotion they experienced during an implemental mindset. The most common emotion reported was determination. Based on this result, we compared the facial expression of determination to anger. In Study 2, naïve judges were asked to identify photographs of facial expressions intended to express determination, along with photographs intended to express basic emotions (joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, neutral). Correct identifications of intended determination expressions were correlated with misidentifications of the expressions as anger, but not with misidentifications as any other emotion. This suggests that determination, a high-approach, positive affect, is perceived as similar to anger. In Study 3, naïve judges quantified the intensity of joy, anger, and determination expressed in photographs. The intensity of perceived determination was directly correlated with the intensity of perceived anger (a high-approach, negative affect), and was inversely correlated with the intensity of perceived joy (a low-approach, positive affect). These results demonstrate perceptual similarity between emotions that share a motivational direction, but differ in valence.