Positive Emotions Generally Have Positive Consequences for Negotiations

Positive emotions can lead to these sets of consequences:

Positive feelings are more likely to lead the parties toward more integrative processes. Researchers have shown that negotiators who feel positive emotions toward each other are more likely to strive for integrative agreements and more likely to be flexible in how they arrive at a solution to a problem.

Positive feelings also create a positive attitude toward the other side. When negotiators like the other party, they tend to be more flexible in the negotiations. Having a positive attitude toward the other increases concession making lessens hostile behaviors, and builds trust among the parties.

Positive feelings promote persistence. If negotiators feel positively attracted, they are more likely to feel confident and, as a result, to persist in trying to get their concerns and issues addressed in the negotiation and to achieve better outcomes. In one study of negotiations over email, participants who expressed positive emotion were more like to reach a settlement rather than impasse compared with those who did not express positive emotion.

Positive feelings set the stage for successful subsequent negotiations. Negotiators who come out of the interaction with positive feelings about the other party are more satisfied with how the negotiation went and more apt to want to negotiate with that same party in the future.