Affectivism: “If cognitivism is conceived of as an approach in which the inclusion of cognitive processes in models of behaviour, mind and brain increases the power to explain not only cognitive phenomena but also behaviour, then affectivism would be the approach in which the inclusion of affective processes in such models not only explains affective phenomena but, critically, further enhances the power to explain cognition and behaviour.” (Dukes et al., 2021)

 

 Historically often neglected or disparaged as inutile, research on emotion has increasingly been shown to help explain, not only affective phenomena themselves (e.g., emotions, moods, or stress), but also how and why we behave the way we do (behavior) and think the things we do (cognition). In other words, the growing interest in the affective sciences has led to increasing recognition that such research can both help in our search for answers to questions concerning how and why we feel the way we feel – questions whose answers were previously thought to be either unquantifiable or irrelevant – and increase the explanatory power of models that focus on areas of science previously thought to be entirely cognitive or behavioral.

 One of the most salient features of the affective sciences is its growing reach (documented in Dukes et al., 2021 in terms of number of citations and funding) and its widening scope. While research in the affective sciences has seen the birth of new societies, journals and even institutions, the subject matter concerns areas both of a fundamental scientific nature and of societal relevance. Indeed, its breadth and depth can be seen in the number of disciplines that inform and are informed by the affective sciences (e.g., anthropology, computer sciences, economics, history, law, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology and sociology, to name but a few). So important has the impact of the rise of affectivism been, one could ask whether it is time to acknowledge affectivism as a new era in academia and beyond.

 This page will be added to when there are new events and publications linked to our affectivism project.

 

References:

Dukes, D., Abrams, K., Adolphs, R., Ahmed, M. E., Beatty, A., Berridge, K. C., Broomhall, S., Brosch, T., Campos, J. J., Clay, Z., Clément, F., Cunningham, W. A., Damasio, A., Damasio, H., D’Arms, J., Davidson, J. W., de Gelder, B., Deonna, J., de Sousa, R., Ekman, P., Ellsworth, P., Fehr, E., Fischer, A., Foolen, A., Frevert, U., Grandjean, D., Gratch, J., Greenberg, L., Greenspan, P., Gross, J. J., Halperin, E., Kappas, A., Keltner, D., Knutson, B., Konstan, D., Kret, M., Le Doux, J. E., Lerner, J. S., Levenson, R. W., Loewenstein, G., Manstead, A. S. R., Maroney, T. A., Moors, A., Niedenthal, P., Parkinson, B., Pavlidis, I., Pelachaud, C., Pollak, S. D., Pourtois, G., Roettger-Roessler, B., Russell, J. A., Sauter, D., Scarantino, A., Scherer, K. R., Stearns, P., Stets, J. E., Tappolet, C., Teroni, F., Tsai, J., Turner, J., Van Reekum, C., Vuilleumier, P., Wharton, T. & Sander, D. (online version).

 

The rise of affectivism, Nature Human Behaviour. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01130-8

Here is a publicly available, read-only link: https://rdcu.be/cmiCz

 

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