How the target of anger responds emotionally to it determines how powerful this person seems.

What is it about?

The way people in a social interaction are perceived by uninvolved observers is affected by the emotions that each of them expresses during the interaction. This idea was examined by assessing the extent to which expressions of anger toward a target—which, in isolation, are perceived as signals of high social power—are influenced by the target’s emotional reaction to it. The research found that the angry person was perceived as having a higher level of social power when this anger was responded by fear or sadness than when it was responded by neutrality or anger. This effect seems to be caused by the fact that the emotional response of the target on one's anger signals the level to which the high social power suggested by the first person’s expression is confirmed by its target. Angry persons always seem somewhat powerful regardless of how this anger is responded by its target. Yet, the response of the target also contributes to the degree of the perceived power of the angry person.

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Why is it important?

Emotions are an important factor in social interactions. Understanding how the people interacting with one another are perceived as a function of the emotions that they express helps to understand this role of emotions.

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