AUTHOR=Li Hongxia , Shan Wen 

TITLE=Carpe diem or carpe mañana? Emotion priming affects intertemporal choice among Internet addicts and normal Internet users

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.994778

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.994778

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Internet addiction has been a severe problem that needs imperative solutions derived from the mechanism. To uncover a more nuanced mechanism of Internet addiction in association with decision making focus and emotions and thus generate effective interventions, we conducted three experiments to investigate how various forms of emotion priming affect intertemporal choice among Internet addicts and normal Internet users. We divided the emotions into three categories, namely emotional valence (negative and positive emotions), expected emotion type (expected regret, expected joy), and current emotion type (current regret, current joy). In Experiment 1, we examined the effect of 2 participant type (Internet addicts vs. normal Internet users) × 3 emotion valence (positive, negative, neutral). In experiment 2, we examined the effect of 2 participant type (Internet addicts, normal Internet users) × 3 current emotion type (current regret, joy, neutral). In experiment 3, we examined the effect of 2 participant type (Internet addicts, normal Internet users) × 2 expected emotion type (expected regret vs. expected joy). In each experiment, we used subjective value as the dependent variable index of intertemporal choice. The results showed that the subjective value of Internet addicts was significantly lower than the normal Internet users across three studies. The subjective value of individuals primed with positive emotions was significantly higher than those primed with negative emotions, no matter whether they were normal Internet users or addicts (experiment 1). The subjective value of individuals primed with expected joy was significantly higher than those primed with expected regret, no matter whether they were normal Internet users or addicts (experiment 3). When primed with current joy, however, the Internet addicts’ subjective value was significantly lower than when primed with current regret, but this did not apply to normal Internet users (experiment 2). These results suggest positive emotions and expected joy enhanced long-term goals and greater rewards focus on intertemporal decision making, as compared to negative emotions and expected regret. However, current joy facilitated short-term goals, and smaller rewards focus on intertemporal decision making, as compared to current regret. The theoretical and practical implications for Internet addiction were discussed.