Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-11-2026
Journal / Book Title
Affective Science
Abstract
Emotions are commonly described using the valence-based terms positive and negative, which, we suggest, can create value-judgments of emotions and people experiencing them as being, for example, good or bad. We examined this assertion in four studies (N = 818). We found that people perceive valence-based terminology in a more value-laden manner than feeling-based terminology (pleasant/unpleasant; Study 1). We then examined whether using valence-based, feeling-based, or neither terminology influences value-judgments of anger and envy and people expressing them (Studies 2, 3). We found that both terminologies can create value-judgments. Some of our findings in Study 3 were moderated by participants' political ideology. In Study 4, we explored alternatives to the valence-based terminology. While all terminologies can convey some degree of value-judgments, the valence-based terminology does it most. We tentatively recommend (a) using either a feeling-based (pleasant/unpleasant) or a feeling-specific terminology (pleasant-feeling/ unpleasant-feeling) to discuss general emotion groups and (b) using no descriptive terminology when discussing specific emotions. We conclude by offering the Words-as-Values (WaV) Theoretical Framework through which researchers may further explore the influences of terminology and its boundary conditions.
DOI
10.1007/s42761-026-00367-8
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Gonzalez, Manuel F. and Cohen-Charash, Yochi, "Loaded Language: Terminology Influences Everyday Beliefs About Emotions and People Expressing Them" (2026). Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 746.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/psychology-facpubs/746
Rights
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Published Citation
Gonzalez, M. F., & Cohen-Charash, Y. (2026). Loaded Language: Terminology Influences Everyday Beliefs About Emotions and People Expressing Them. Affective Science, 1-20.