Abstract

There can be little doubt that affect is one of the most important yet least understood influences on the way people think and behave in social situations. Although intuitively we all know that our feelings frequently have a profound influence on our thoughts, judgments, and interpersonal behaviors, in practice we do not yet fully understand how and why these influences oc ur. Somewhat disappointingly, empirical research by psychologists has, until quite recently, provided only glimpses into the delicate relationship among affect, cognition, and behavior. In fact, most of what we know about the role of affect in social cognition has only been discovered since the beginning of the 1980s. This is thus a particularly fortuitous time to review and summarize what has been achieved in this exciting field to date. The main objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive and integrated overview of what we now know about the role of affect in social cognition.