In daily life, our emotional fluctuations and behavioral motivations are often affected by various potential laws. These laws hidden in psychological activities are called psychological effects. They are like invisible hands, quietly controlling our attitude towards others, our persistence in tasks, and even our self-awareness. Understanding the psychological effects in the fields of emotions and motivation can help us understand our own and others' behaviors more clearly, thereby better managing emotions and stimulating motivation. This article will analyze many classic emotional and motivational psychological effects in detail, and take you into the wonderful psychological world.
Aronson effect
What is the Aronson effect?
The Aronson effect refers to people preferring people or things that gradually increase their love, rewards, and praise for themselves, and dislike those who gradually decrease. Simply put, the 'becoming better' experience will make people more satisfied, while the 'becoming worse' experience will make people more disappointing. This psychological change will directly affect people's emotions and behavioral motivations.
Background source
This effect was proposed by American psychologist Elliott Aronson. Aronson is an authoritative scholar in the field of social psychology. Through a large number of experimental research, he found that people are very sensitive to changes in other people's evaluations, especially the change in evaluations from low to high or from high to low, which has a much greater impact on emotions and attitudes than a stable evaluation.
Core Principle
The core principles of the Aronson effect are related to psychological expectations and contrast effects . When the positive feedback people receive gradually increases, they will feel that they are constantly improving and being recognized. This 'sense of rise' satisfies the inner self-esteem needs, thus creating pleasant emotions and stronger motivation for action; on the contrary, when the positive feedback gradually decreases, people will feel that their efforts are not rewarded as they deserve, and even doubt their abilities, thereby reducing their motivation.
Experimental basis
Aronson once did a classic experiment: he asked four groups of people to evaluate a certain person. The first group always gave a positive evaluation, the second group always gave a negative evaluation, the third group first negated and then affirmed, and the fourth group first affirmed and then negative. The results show that the third group (negate first and then affirm) gets the highest favorability, while the fourth group (positive first and then negative) gets the lowest favorability. This experiment intuitively proves the impact of evaluation changes on attitudes and lays the theoretical basis for the Aronson effect.
Realistic application
In the field of education, teachers can use the Aronson effect to stimulate students' learning motivation. For example, to students with poor foundations, give moderate affirmation (even if it is a slight progress), then gradually increase the requirements and give more praise, so that students can increase their confidence in the 'more and more recognized' experience and actively devote themselves to learning. In management, leaders should also avoid 'high first and low first', but maintain employees' enthusiasm for work through gradual increase in recognition.
Critical Analysis
Although the Aronson effect can effectively affect emotions and motivation, it also has certain limitations. It is more suitable for non-principle evaluation or reward . If you deliberately lower the evaluation criteria and blindly increase rewards in order to cater to the effect, it may lead to the other party's false self-awareness, which is not conducive to long-term growth. In addition, for people with strong abilities and clear self-awareness, over-reliance on 'gradual increase' evaluation may have limited results, and they pay more attention to the authenticity and professionalism of the evaluation.
Boehm/Beber law
What is the Beibo rule?
The Beibo rule means that when a person experiences strong stimulation, the stimulation he gives will become insignificant to him, that is, the first big stimulation can dilute the second small stimulation. This pattern is obvious in emotional feelings and motivational stimulation. For example, when you are in the same intensity of care for a long time, people will gradually get used to it and even cannot feel the initial warmth.
Background source
The Beibo law originates from the 'sensory adaptation' theory in psychology and is a psychological protection mechanism formed by humans in their long-term evolution. It was first discovered in sensory research, such as in a noisy environment for a long time, people will gradually adapt to the existence of noise; it was later expanded to the fields of emotional and social behavior to explain changes in people's response to repeated stimuli.
Core Principle
The core of Beber’s law is the change in psychological thresholds . When external stimuli appear for the first time, people's psychological threshold is lower and they are prone to strong emotional reactions; but as the stimuli repeats or stabilizes the intensity of the stimuli, the psychological threshold will gradually increase, and stronger stimuli is needed to trigger an equal degree of emotional experience. This change will lead to a gradual 'numbness' of people to sustained, stable stimuli, thereby reducing emotional engagement and behavioral motivation.
Experimental basis
A psychologist has done this experiment: two groups of people receive different stimuli respectively. The first group first puts your hands into 37℃ water (warm water), and then into 40℃ water (slightly hot), and you will obviously feel the water temperature rise; the second group first puts your hands into 43℃ water (hot water), and then into 40℃ water, but you will feel the water temperature drop. This experiment shows that the initial strong stimulation changes people's feelings about subsequent stimulation and confirms the existence of Beibo's regularity. In emotional experiments, people who receive small gifts for a long time will feel disappointed when the gift stops; while those who receive valuable gifts first and then small gifts are much less satisfied with the small gifts than those who receive small gifts directly.
Realistic application
In interpersonal relationships, Beber's rules remind us to avoid 'over-paying'. For example, if parents are unconditionally satisfied with their children for a long time, the children will gradually get used to this kind of care, and once the care is reduced, they will easily become dissatisfied; on the contrary, moderate efforts combined with occasional 'surprise' can make the other party cherish it more. In the marketing field, merchants will first launch higher-intensity discounts (such as large discounts), and then gradually adjust the discount intensity to avoid consumers being disgusted by the 'shrinkage of discounts'.
Critical Analysis
The Berber law reveals the adaptive characteristics of humans to stimuli, but we must also be careful to avoid falling into 'stimuli dependence'. If the intensity of stimulation is continuously increased in order to maintain the emotional experience, it may lead to excessive psychological thresholds and it is difficult to obtain happiness from ordinary life. In addition, the Beibo law is not applicable to all scenarios. For stimuli with special significance (such as family birthday wishes), even if it appears repeatedly, people can feel the emotional value in it and will not be easily 'dilute'.
Quenching effect
What is the quenching effect?
Quenching effect gene refers to the rapid cooling of metal workpieces after being heated to a certain temperature, which can improve hardness and toughness. In psychology, it means that when a person experiences moderate setbacks, stress or criticism, self-adjustment can actually enhance his psychological endurance and behavioral motivation, just like metals become stronger after quenching.
Background source
The quenching effect in psychology originates from the study of frustration education. In early education, people once believed that 'protective education' could help children grow up healthily, but later they found that children who lack frustration experience are often psychologically fragile and resistant to stress differences. Through comparative experiments, researchers found that moderate setbacks can stimulate people's internal potential, and this phenomenon is analogized to metal quenching, called the quenching effect.
Core Principle
The core of the quenching effect is the positive transformation mechanism of setbacks . When a person encounters moderate setbacks, he will develop emotions such as tension and anxiety. These emotions will activate the brain's 'stress response system' and prompt individuals to mobilize resources to solve problems. In the process of solving problems, people will accumulate experience and improve their abilities, while enhancing their awareness of self-efficacy (i.e., 'I can cope with difficulties'), thus forming stronger psychological resilience and motivation for continuous action.
Experimental basis
Psychologists have conducted follow-up research on two groups of students: one group of students never encountered difficulties in learning (the teacher cleared all obstacles in advance), and the other group of students encountered moderate difficulties in learning (the teacher gave guidance but did not directly solve them). The results showed that one year later, the problem-solving ability, persistence and learning motivation of the second group were significantly higher than that of the first group. This experiment shows that a moderate experience of frustration can effectively promote psychological growth and verifies the rationality of the quenching effect.
Realistic application
In education, teachers and parents can reasonably use the quenching effect to allow children to experience moderate setbacks in their studies and life. For example, let children complete difficult tasks independently, and give encouragement rather than taking over when encountering difficulties, helping them build confidence in overcoming setbacks. In personal growth, we can also take the initiative to challenge some goals that are 'jumping to reach', accumulate motivation by overcoming small difficulties, and enhance our ability to deal with greater challenges.
Critical Analysis
The key to the quenching effect lies in 'moderateness'. If the intensity of the setback is too large or lasts too long, exceeding the individual's ability to bear, it will have a negative effect, leading to emotional collapse, loss of motivation, and even psychological trauma. In addition, the role of the quenching effect is also related to the individual's support system. In the process of frustration, appropriate guidance and emotional support can help the individual better transform frustration. If there is no support, frustration may only cause harm. Therefore, when using the quenching effect, it is necessary to grasp the 'degree' of setbacks in combination with the actual situation of the individual.
Wallenda effect
What is the Valenda effect?
The Valenda effect refers to excessive attention to the results in order to achieve a certain purpose, which will distract and interfere with normal performance, causing things to go against your wishes. Simply put, it is 'the more you want to do it well, the more likely you make mistakes'. This psychological state will directly affect emotional stability and behavioral performance.
Background source
This effect originated from real events: Valenda, a famous American high-altitude tightrope actor, repeatedly emphasized before an important performance that 'this performance is too important to fail.' However, during the performance, he accidentally fell and died. Afterwards, his wife said, 'I knew something would happen to him because he cared too much about the result this time, and before he only focused on walking the tightrope itself.' Psychologists named this phenomenon after 'Valenda'.
Core Principle
The core of the Valenda effect is the interaction between distraction and psychological stress . When people pay too much attention to the results, the brain is in a state of high tension, creating anxiety, causing attention to shift from 'how to complete the task' to 'the consequences of failure.' This distraction can interfere with the performance of muscle memory and automation skills, making originally skilled movements stiff and ultimately affecting performance results.
Experimental basis
There are many experiments in the field of exercise psychology that validate the Valenda effect. The researchers asked two groups of athletes of similar levels to conduct shooting tests. The first group was asked to 'focus on the movements and strength of the shooting', and the second group was asked to 'must make a shot, otherwise it will affect team performance.' The results showed that the first group's shooting percentage was significantly higher than that of the second group. Experiments show that excessive attention to the pressure from results reduces the coordination and accuracy of the action, consistent with the description of the Valenda effect.
Realistic application
In competitive competitions, exams, speeches and other scenarios, the Valenda effect reminds us to 'focus on the process, not the results.' For example, before the college entrance examination, candidates should instead think repeatedly about 'what to do if they don't get well in the exam', it is better to focus on every knowledge point of review; athletes should focus on the details of their actions in the competition, rather than the results of winning or losing. In daily work, after setting clear goals, focusing on 'how to complete tasks step by step' can reduce anxiety and improve efficiency.
Critical Analysis
The Valenda effect is not the importance of negating the goal, but emphasizes that 'over-focusing' on the results can have negative effects. Proper target awareness can inspire the engine and will only interfere with performance when the target becomes “the pressure that must be completed.” In addition, the individual's psychological quality will also affect the strength of the Varenda effect. People with strong psychological resilience and high concentration can better resist the interference caused by the results. Therefore, in actual applications, it is necessary to adjust it in combination with the individual's psychological state.
Gaslighting effect
What is the gas lamp effect?
The gas lamp effect is a hidden psychological manipulation method. Through long-term and gradual deception, denial and misleading, the victim gradually doubts his memory, cognition and judgment, and eventually loses his self-identity and becomes dependent on the manipulator. This effect will seriously affect the victim's emotional state and even lead to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression.
Background source
The term 'gas lamp' originated from the 1944 movie 'Under the Gas Lamp'. In the film, the husband gradually believed that he was mentally ill by adjusting the brightness of the gas lamp and denying his wife's perception. Later, psychologists named this phenomenon of distorting other people's cognition through psychological manipulation as the gas lamp effect, which is common in intimate relationships, workplaces, family and other scenarios.
Core Principle
The core of the gas lamp effect is the cycle of information manipulation and self-doubt . The manipulator will use the victim's trust to continuously output false information (such as denying the facts and distorting the truth), while devalue the victim's cognitive ability (such as saying 'you remembered wrongly' and 'you are too sensitive'). If you are in this environment for a long time, the victim will gradually be unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood, begin to doubt his own judgment, and eventually form the cognition that 'the manipulator is right and I am wrong', and become emotionally inferior, helpless, and lose the motivation to resist.
Experimental basis
In psychological research, the 'cognitive dissonance' experiment can partially explain the mechanism of the gas lamp effect: when the information received by an individual is inconsistent with his or her own cognition, psychological conflicts will arise; if contradictory information is continuously received for a long time and there is a lack of external support, the individual may change his or her own cognition to eliminate conflicts. In the case study of gas lamp effect, researchers found that victims are often isolated (lack of others' verification), and the manipulators gradually 'reshape' the victims' cognition by repeatedly strengthening false information.
Realistic application
Understanding the gas lamp effect can help us identify potential psychological manipulation. In interpersonal relationships, if the other party often denies your memory and accuses you of being 'unreasonable', causing you to frequently fall into self-doubt, you should be wary of whether there is a gaslight effect. Coping methods include: retaining objective evidence (such as chat records, event records), seeking external support (conveying to trusted people), strengthening self-cognition (clearing one's own values and judgment criteria), and avoiding falling into the psychological trap of the manipulator.
Critical Analysis
The gas lamp effect is extremely harmful, not only distorting the victim’s perception, but also destroying their emotional health and autonomous motivation. However, it should be noted that the occurrence of gas lamp effect is often related to the victim's psychological state (such as low self-esteem, excessive dependence), and not all negative evaluations are manipulation. The difference between normal differences of opinion, reasonable criticism and the gas lamp effect is that the former is based on facts and aims to solve problems; the latter is based on deception and aims to control others. We must not only be vigilant about psychological manipulation, but also avoid placing all negative feedback as the 'gaslight effect' and maintain rational judgment.
Summarize
The psychological effects of emotions and motivation are important laws of human psychological activities. From the influence of reward changes on attitudes in the Aronson effect to the hidden psychological manipulation in the gas lamp effect, each effect reveals the deep logic behind emotions and motivation. Understanding these effects not only helps us better understand our emotional fluctuations and behavioral motivations, but also provides practical guidance in areas such as education, interpersonality, and self-growth.
In life, we can use the Aronson effect to stimulate others' positive attitudes, use the quenching effect to improve psychological resilience, avoid the performance trap of the Valenda effect, and be wary of the psychological manipulation of the gas lamp effect. At the same time, we must also realize that each effect has its applicable boundaries and needs to be flexibly used in light of actual conditions. Through learning and practice, psychological effects become a powerful tool for us to manage emotions and stimulate motivation, making life more rational and relaxed.
Continue to pay attention to the series of articles in 'Complete Psychological Effects' and explore more secret weapons of psychology in depth.
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