Having few positive emotions, or too many negative feelings? Emotions as moderating variables of authoritarianism effects on racism

The present investigation tests in a Polish student (N = 175) and adult sample (N = 197) the relationship between submissive authoritarianism (Right-Wing Authoritarianism; RWA) and dominant authoritarianism (Social Dominance Orientation; SDO), and measures of positive and negative affect (i.e., chronic accessibility, intensity, and expression). Two results were especially noteworthy. First, it was revealed that RWA was strongly and negatively related to positive emotions, whereas SDO was related to poor expression of both negative and positive emotions. Second, various moderator effects between authoritarianism and measures of negative and positive emotions emerged. Unlike previous theorizing, it is concluded that not only negative emotions shape authoritarianism-based prejudice, but that (a lack of) positive emotions are equally worth investigating.