The Impact of Positive Emotions on Decision-Making

Written by Evelyn Tian

The Impact of Positive Emotions on Decision-Making

Before we dive into the impact of positive emotions, let’s first take a look at decision-making.

Decision-Making

How many decisions do we make approximately per day?

Well, only 35,000! What, 35,000!

As you scroll through LinkedIn or Google Search, you’re making countless decisions. Which topic should you explore next? Should you keep reading this blog? What have you learned so far? Meanwhile, your friends call you for lunch. Do you join them now, or keep going? How long should they wait?

The decisions we make shape our lives. And in return, those decisions shape us.

Every decision is a step toward a future we desire. For example, you chose to join your friends for lunch because you wanted to catch up and connect. But decisions also help us avoid unwanted situations. Maybe you were about to join them—until you realised Devil would be there, dominating the conversation. So, instead, you decided to stay and keep reading.

Great choice! Now, let’s dive into emotions and decision-making.

Unlocking the Power of Positivity

Our alumni from leadership, professional coaching, and Scrum Master programs often express pleasant surprise at the discussion, practices, and tips surrounding energy and emotions.

This focus underscores a fundamental truth: We are, at our core, emotional beings. Emotions are the silent architects of our daily lives, deeply influencing not just what we do but how we do it.

From the moment we wake up to when we go to sleep, our emotional state plays a pivotal role in navigating the myriad decisions we face. Whether we choose what to wear based on our mood or decide to take on a challenging task at work because we feel motivated, emotions are at the heart of these decisions.

In addition, emotions colour our behaviours in nuanced ways. When we’re joyful, our interactions with others might be more open, collaborative and engaging. Conversely, feelings of disappointment could lead us to act more defensively or withdraw from social interactions or collaboration. This dynamic interplay between emotions and behaviour is a dance we all partake in, often subconsciously.

The words we choose are another avenue through which emotions manifest. Anger might sharpen our words into weapons, while happiness can turn them into bridges that connect us to others. Our tone, the pace of our speech, and even the pauses we take are all subtly shaped by our emotional state, affecting how our messages are received and interpreted by those around us. 

The relationship among our emotions, behaviours and words operates within a dynamic, interactive loop, profoundly influencing not just our own emotional states but also those of the people around us. This interplay extends beyond mere personal impact, creating ripples that can affect the emotional landscape of entire groups or environments. 

Now, if you try to think about a colleague or a friend who keeps sighing next to you and reflect on their behaviours and their influence on you, I don’t want you to just land on that emotion. So now think about something that truly made you happy during the past hours. I am not seeing you, but I am sure you feel lighter, and there is most likely a smile on your face. 

Understanding Emotions 

Emotions can generally be categorised into two types: positive and negative.

A wealth of research underscores the cognitive benefits of positive emotions. So, if you are as curious as I am, most likely you want to dive into the topic of emotions even more after you read this blog. For now, let’s have an overview.

Emotions such as joy, excitement, inspiration, and love not only energise and contribute to overall happiness and activity levels but also with the following benefits that are key to decision-making.

The Role of Positive Emotions in Decision-Making 

Broadening Our Perspective

Research suggests that positive emotions broaden our attention and cognitive flexibility, enabling us to see a wider array of possibilities in a given situation.

This broadened perspective allows individuals to consider more alternatives and solutions, enhancing decision-making processes. For instance, someone in a positive emotional state might be more apt to notice opportunities in a challenge, whereas negative emotions could narrow their focus, making it harder to see beyond immediate problems.

Enhancing Creativity and Innovation

Positive emotions are closely linked to creativity, which is essential for innovative decision-making.

Feeling positive broadens our thought-action repertoires, encouraging divergent thinking—a style of thinking that generates creative and novel ideas. This can be particularly beneficial in complex decision-making scenarios where traditional solutions are ineffective and innovative approaches are required.

Improving Problem-Solving Skills

Positive emotions not only enhance creativity but also improve problem-solving abilities.

Individuals experiencing positive emotions are more likely to adopt an efficient and flexible approach to problem-solving, which can lead to more effective decision-making. They are also better at integrating information and adapting their strategies as needed.

Increasing Resilience and Recovery

Decision-making often involves navigating uncertainties and setbacks.

Positive emotions contribute to resilience, helping individuals bounce back from failures and continue pursuing their goals. This resilience is crucial in the decision-making process, as it enables individuals to maintain a constructive outlook, even in the face of difficulties, and to make decisions that are aligned with long-term objectives rather than short-term emotional reactions.

Fostering Social Connections

Positive emotions have a social component that can enhance decision-making.

They promote social interactions and help build strong, supportive relationships. These connections can provide valuable feedback, diverse perspectives, and collaborative opportunities, all of which can inform and improve the decision-making process. Moreover, the sense of belonging and support derived from positive social interactions can bolster confidence in one’s decisions.

Facilitating Long-Term Thinking

Positive emotions can encourage long-term thinking and goal-oriented decision-making.

When we feel good, we are more likely to consider the future implications of our decisions and to choose options that contribute to our long-term well-being and success. This contrasts with the short-term focus often induced by negative emotions, where immediate relief or avoidance of discomfort might overshadow longer-term considerations.

Application in Agile Context and Workplace

Let’s try to picture a conversation, which is something I heard often during initial mentoring sessions for ScrumMasters.

“We failed this sprint. We finished 4 user stories and had to take the other 4 user stories into the next sprint.”

What emotions does the word “failed” bring? How does a person feel when they are saying, “I had to…”?

Here is an emotion wheel (reference). Please mark down the emotions you had when you heard the above conversation or you were the one who just said the above statements. 

Now hear this again: “We finished four user stories that helped increase user engagement with our app. We also had four partially completed user stories focusing on user engagement. Let’s look and see how we can improve our next sprint based on this sprint’s experience.”

Again, try using the emotion wheel to mark down your emotions when you read the above-paraphrased content. 

Start to Observe and Notice

Beginning to observe your emotions and their impact is a transformative practice that can lead to deeper self-awareness and emotional intelligence. 

This observation involves a deliberate and mindful examination of your emotional state. You must understand what you feel, why you feel a certain way, and how these emotions influence your thoughts, decisions, behaviours, and interactions with others. 

Positivity fuelled emotions—such as compassion, peace, and joy—do not distort reality. They allow us to listen, feel, and act in ways that nurture growth, collaboration, hope, and deep connections. 

Cultivating positive emotional states and environments can, therefore, be seen as a strategic approach to better decision-making in both personal and professional contexts.

Towards a New Paradigm of Decision-Making

I hope the essence of my message so far is clear. 

Let’s shift: We advocate for a paradigm shift in decision-making — one that consistently fosters excellent choices leading to new opportunities, innovative ideas, and fresh perspectives.

Decisions grounded in positivity lead to success, fulfilment, and satisfaction and help us evolve into better versions of ourselves.

What’s Next? 

If you are interested in the topic and are curious about how to learn about its application, practices and tips in the workplace and support your Agile teams, here is a list of options: 

– The Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM) training helps ScrumMasters (or people holding similar roles, such as Scrum lead, delivery lead, etc.) to support teams while growing agile coaching competencies and the Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM) will help advance you to the expert level on this path;

– The Certified Agile Leader training helps you improve self-leadership while supporting your teams and organisations. 

– The Certified Agile Facilitator (CAF) training is for those of you who want to benefit from facilitation as an individual and grow your teams.