On 29 May, a session of the ISEG Research Seminars will take place from 13.00 to 14.00. The guest speaker will be Michalis Drouvelis from University of Naples Federico II.
The ISEG Research Seminars are held every week on Wednesdays, with the participation of professors from ISEG, as well as from other Portuguese and international educational institutions.
Title
The Effects of Induced Emotions on Leading-by-Example (joint work with Zeyu Qiu)
Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of induced emotions on leading-by example. Using an online sample of more than 1,000 participants, we observe behavior in a one-shot sequential voluntary contribution mechanism game where leaders and followers are induced to be either happy or angry. Our findings show that angry leaders contribute less than happy leaders. The same effect is observed when considering followers’ behavior. A follow-up study uses the strategy method where the leader's actual contribution is not revealed to followers and shows that angry followers behave no differently from happy followers. This suggests that the effect of induced emotions on followers’ behavior operates primarily through the leader's behavior, highlighting the importance of leader emotions in shaping team outcomes. More broadly, our findings highlight the role of emotions as a causal force, suggesting that negative changes in well-being can bring about adverse effects on team cooperation.
