PR 605 Lecture 77: Moods and Emotions in Negotiations
15 Jan 2021
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Moods and Emotions in Negotiations
A question to consider: Do moods and emotions influence negotiation?
The answer to this is that they do, but the way they work is dependent on the emotion and
context of the situation.
A negotiator that shows anger can induce concessions because the other person negotiating
things there are no possible concessions from the angry party/side.
A factor that creates this outcome is power because you only show anger when negotiating if
you have as much power as the person you’re going against.
If you have less power, showing anger can provoke hardball reactions from the other party.
Showing emotions like sympathy, or showing other emotions like sadness can also persuade the
other side.
Another factor is how genuine your anger is.
When you fake anger, it’s not effective, but showing genuine anger is effective.
It also seems that having a history of portraying anger instead of revenge induces more
concessions because the other side sees the negotiator as someone who is tough.
Culture also matters when negotiating.
Disappointment is another relevant emotion.
A negotiator that things their counterpart is disappointed concedes more in negotiation.
Anxiety impacts negotiation.
Anxious negotiators:
- Expect lower outcomes
- Respond to offers more quickly
- Exit the bargaining process more quickly
- This leads them to obtaining worse outcomes
Emotions, especially negative ones, matter when negotiating.
Even unpredictable emotions affect outcomes.
Document Summary
The answer to this is that they do, but the way they work is dependent on the emotion and context of the situation. A negotiator that shows anger can induce concessions because the other person negotiating things there are no possible concessions from the angry party/side. A factor that creates this outcome is power because you only show anger when negotiating if you have as much power as the person you"re going against. If you have less power, showing anger can provoke hardball reactions from the other party. Showing emotions like sympathy, or showing other emotions like sadness can also persuade the other side. Another factor is how genuine your anger is. When you fake anger, it"s not effective, but showing genuine anger is effective. It also seems that having a history of portraying anger instead of revenge induces more concessions because the other side sees the negotiator as someone who is tough.
