Testing the MAGNETO (Mood As Global Net Expected Trade-Off) model
Two views on how emotions impact decisions have been opposed across centuries. The Cartesian view suggests that a rational decision-maker must ignore emotions, whereas the Darwinian view suggests that emotions help the decision-maker with valuating options. Our lab has conducted studies that confront these two perspectives, applied to mood fluctuations.
Compared to emotions, moods are affective states that are not tight to a particular trigger and that last long enough to influence unrelated decisions.