The researchers conducted a series of experiments with different child age groups who had happy or sad moods induced with the aid of music
with the children induced to feel a sad or neutral mood performing the task better than those induced to feel a happy state of mind.
“Happiness indicates that things are going well, which leads to a global, top-down style of information processing. Sadness indicates that something is amiss, triggering detail-orientated, analytical processing.
But this particular research demonstrates that when attention to detail is required, it may do more harm than good.”
“The good feeling that accompanies happiness comes at a hidden cost. It leads to a particular style of thinking that is suited for some types of situations, but not others.”
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