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Experimental Psychology (Russia)
2025. Vol. 18, no. 4, 151–163
doi:10.17759/exppsy.2025180409
ISSN: 2072-7593 / 2311-7036 (online)

How verbal negations affect an emotional response

 
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Abstract

There are several theoretical foundations to suggest a relationship between verbal negations and negative emotions. Empirical studies confirm that the negative answer “no” is indeed associated with negative reactions, whereas the reaction in response to negative phrases is difficult to assess due to the influence of the emotional meaning of the denied words. The article presents an empirical study of the evaluation of emotional and emotionally neutral phrases (N = 87) on a direct scale and using the RCT method (relationship color test). The results showed that negation inverts the evaluation of positive and negative concepts so that it practically corresponds to affirmative similar phrases (“no sadness” = “this is happiness”). Whereas the evaluation of neutral concepts significantly shifts to the negative pole of the scale relative to the evaluations of affirmative neutral phrases. Possible psychological mechanisms of the new effect are discussed. So, in the cognitive approach, a negative assessment is the result of interpreting a negated concept through its stereotype, where the absence of even neutral elements is abnormal. It is discussed possible psychological mechanisms of the new effect. So, in the cognitive approach, a negative evaluation is the result of interpreting a negated concept through its stereotype, where the absence of even neutral elements is abnormal. The development of the embodied theory suggests that negative emotion is part of a rejecting reaction (avoidant behavior with negative emotions). It is proposed further studies that can clarify the mechanism of the negative effect.

General Information

Keywords: negations, emotional evaluation, RCT, frame theory, embodied theory

Journal rubric: Psycholinguistics

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/exppsy.2025180409

Received 04.11.2024

Revised 21.04.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Andreeva, G.A., Ulybina, E.V. (2025). How verbal negations affect an emotional response. Experimental Psychology (Russia), 18(4), 151–163. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/exppsy.2025180409

© Andreeva G.A., Ulybina E.V., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Galina A. Andreeva, MA in Psychology, Postgraduate Student of the Psychology Faculty of the Institute of Social Sciences, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4155-8970, e-mail: andreeva_galia29@mail.ru

Elena V. Ulybina, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Professor of the Department of General Psychology, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, Lecturer at the Faculty of Practical Psychology at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5398-9006, e-mail: evulbn@gmail.com

Contribution of the authors

Galina A. Andreeva — ideas; annotation, writing and design of the manuscript; planning of the research; conducting experiments; collecting and analyzing data.

Elena V. Ulybina — control over the research; application of statistical methods for data analysis; visualization of research results.

Both authors participated in the discussion of the results and approved the final text of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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