Analyzing how Cultivating Positive Emotions Like Joy, Hope, and Empathy can Motivate Individuals to Engage in Community Service and Social Activism

Abstract

This study explores the role of positive emotions—joy, hope, and empathy—leading people into social action and community service. From the psychological theories of emotional motivation and prosocial behavior, the research is interested in how these emotions contribute to immediate and long-term involvement in causes. The survey-based quantitative approach included 300 adults involved in activism or community service. Measuring happiness, hope, and empathies, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule PANAS was used. A customized Likert scale survey elicited information on participant's motivation to participate in activism. The statistical techniques conducted were correlation, regression, and mediation analysis to observe that positive emotions showed an effect on the engagement towards activism (r = 0.75 for happiness, r = 0.68 for hope, r = 0.80 for empathy, p < 0.01). Empathy mediated between joy/hope and long term activism; regression analysis indicated that empathy was most predictive of long term commitment (β = 0.30). Whereas joy and hope was the prime movers in short-term activism, it is in that aspect in which empathy actually made long-term participation truly stick together. This does empirically provide evidence to require emotional induction where induction of emotion of empathy seems to make a lot with social activism activation/maintenance at work. Implications: This is very important to nonprofit organizations, activists, as well as policymakers who might look to enhance social participation, as well as long-run dedication to social causes. Further emotional interventions should be researched further; other emotional conditions should be explored for effects in activism, and causal relations with longitudinal studies could be pursued.