Motivation and emotion/Book/2023/Relief

Relief:
What is relief and what role does it play in our emotional lives?

Multimedia presentation (3 min)

Overview

Striving towards the attainment of a specific objective, particularly when one perceives oneself as ill-equipped for the task, can evoke notable frustration and hardship. These emotional states often cause distress and consequently impact overall psychological well-being.

However, a shift in emotional disposition emerges following the achievement of the said objective, where formerly experienced frustration converts into a more positive emotional state, notably characterised by the lack of dread. This phenomenon is commonly identified as "relief".

It is necessary to recognise that everyday events can serve as triggers for emotional distress. In this context, relief serves as the consequential emotional outcome, influenced by an individual's coping mechanisms and responses to challenging occurrences or objectives.

Focus questions: What is relief? What role does it play in our emotional lives?

Relief

 Explain what relief is Relief is commonly and readily identified as an emotional experience. It is often associated with various phenomena such as self-harm addiction phobia and educational motivation . Despite its prevalence, relief is still empirically understudied. This is surprising given that relief is considered the opposite of regret; an emotion that has received significant recognition in psychology and neuropsychology.

Sighing is believed to arise from the experience of negative emotions (pain, stress, panic) and positive emotions (relaxation and relief). A study by Vlemincx et al. (2009) investigated sigh rates during short states of stress and relief. Stress was induced by exposing participants to loud noise stressors or by creating anticipation of it. Relief was induced by not having an actual stressor or anticipation of a stressor occurring. The measurements for this investigation were breathing parameters. The study concluded that sighing were higher for relief condition compared to condition of stress.

According to Guttentage and Feerei (2004), relief is an emotion that occurs when the actual outcome of a situation is positive or neutral or when an alternative decision would have resulted in a more negative outcome. Often, relief is compared to regret because regret is an emotional consequence resulting from the comparison between the present situation and a better alternative. For example, someone may experience relief when they catch the last train home because otherwise, they would have to pay for a taxi home.

The standard experimental relief measurement typically involves participants feeling happier after considering downward counterfactuals. Approaches like such have proven useful in researching decision-making studies, frequently studied in neuropsychology . However, measuring emotion in this way may not be straightforward as relief can be referred to in different contexts in everyday life. People may prefer to say they are relieved when realising that the outcome could have been worse if alternative decisions were made. Alternatively, people may use the term relief as an emotion experienced when a painful, stressful or unpleasant event comes to an end.

Near-missed and task-completion relief

Figure 1. Students taking an exam (task-completion relief).

The term relief can refer to experiencing two types of antecedents, as explained by Sweeny and Vohs (2012) from a social-psychological perspective. They distinguish between near-miss relief; which emerges from narrowingly avoiding an unpleasant experience and task-completion relief; following the completion of an unpleasant task. Two sets of studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that near-miss relief would be highly associated with counterfactual thinking and social isolation compared to task-completion relief. The results from Study 1 provide support for the hypothesis but the retrospective methodology of Study 1 called for participants to merge their personal theory of relief into their recalled memory. Thus, the laboratory method was used in Study 2 to systematically elicit the types of relief .

The feeling of relief is unusual as it is the progression from an aversive state of tension to a primarily positive emotional experience. The level of relief is determined by the strongest impression between the initial aversion state and the ultimate positive state . Negative experiences tend to overpower positive ones, suggesting that people may focus more on the initial aversive experience rather than the ultimate positive emotional experience. This suggests that people are likely to strategise ways to avoid the aversive experience in the future . However, the peak-end rule suggests that people judge experience by its peak and end. Therefore, they may focus more on the final positive feelings than the initial negative feelings thus reinforcing the preceding behaviours .

Although relief's ultimate state is positive, antecedents of near-miss relief focus on the unrealising of negative experiences and counterfactual thinking known to elicit behavioural intentions . Therefore, experiencing near-miss relief could increase the act to avert an unfavourable situation in the future. However, task-completion relief focuses on the positive emotional experience with little distraction from counterfactual thinking, reinforcing satisfaction when completing unpleasant tasks. This could encourage people to undertake new and challenging tasks .

Counterfactual and temporal relief

Counterfactual emotion is grounded emotion comparing actual outcomes to how things might have turned out differently. Counterfactual thoughts can simulate a better alternative (upwards counterfactual emotion) or a worse alternative (downwards counterfactual emotion).

Hoerl (2015) identifies two types of relief, counterfactual relief and temporal relief. Counterfactual relief is the antonym of regret as it occurs when the actual outcome is better than the imagined alternative. It can be preceded by any precursors without requiring negative experience or stimulation. On the other hand, temporal relief occurs only when an unpleasant experience concludes.

Case study In a study conducted by Aidan Feeney in 2022 , the objective was to examine two distinct forms of relief within real-life decision contexts. This research focused on exploring individuals' experiences of relief concerning political events. Participants were tasked with evaluating the extent of relief they felt both in light of alternative outcomes and when the actual result of the events occurred. The findings indicate the presence of two distinct types of relief: counterfactual and temporal.

According to Deutsch et al. (2015), relief is an emotion that arises when there is an "absence of expected or previously experienced" negative stimulation . This suggestion means that negative effects can avert positive ones if safety signals can be detected . Therefore, the occurrence of relief when an expected negative stimulus fails to occur is referred to as prevention relief. Stopping relief, however, is when the negative experience comes to an end. Deutsch et al. (2015)found that both prevention relief and stopping relief are triggered by negative effects, which are resolved through the detection of a safety signal. Stopping relief refers to only temporary experiences, while prevention relief pertains to the initial period of negative experience that takes the form of fear or anxiety about an outcome that ultimately does not occur. Therefore, the conditions for preventing and stopping relief differ, but they have some basic similarities. Such claims provide answers as to why people use the term relief to refer to the different triggering conditions. However, Hoerl's (2015)distinction between temporal and counterfactual relief does not acknowledge the similarities in their mechanisms. Yet, his study leaves the possible implication that counterfactual relief can occur without initial fear that is subsequently replaced by relief. An example of this is if an individual has a ticket for a flight but changes to a later flight and discovers that the first flight has crashed. This individual may feel relieved even without the initial experience of fear. Note that existing research has not yet addressed such experiences under such circumstances as relief.

Quiz As Liam continues to run, he observes that the bus is steadily leaving in the distance. Just as he's on the verge of defeat and considering calling a taxi, the bus unexpectedly halts, and its doors swing open. Liam resumes his sprint and boards the bus, experiencing a sense of relief. This particular relief can be described as? Task-completion Counterfactual Near-missed Temporal

Relief and emotion

Figure 2. Robert Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions.

Psychologists have identified and demonstrated that relief is a complex emotion with numerous possible triggers and responses. But why do we experience relief?

Emotions can arise in the presence and absence of external factors, but their specific characteristics are contingent upon an individual's focus. For example, the emotion of relief manifests when a situation ends or is overcome. Relief is typically experienced when something of value is preserved or when a threat is averted. For example, the rescue of a kidnapped child or the narrowly avoided collision of a ball with a precious statue.

Figure 3.Nature in Hoa Binh, August 2003 .

Deliberate self-harm (DHS) refers to intentional, direct, and self-inflicted harm to one's body tissues, typically without any suicidal intent . DHS is a clinically significant behaviour associated with adverse outcomes and functional impairments. Extensive clinical and empirical research has identified various motives for DHS, including interpersonal influence, self-punishment, and anti-dissociation .

Prominent theories propose that DHS and similar behaviours are driven and maintained by negative reinforcement, often in the form of emotional relief . This suggests that individuals engage in DHS to alleviate aversive or unwanted emotions, a notion supported by several studies . Furthermore, many individuals report feeling better after engaging in DHS .

A recent study conducted by Gratz et al.(2016) looked into the emotional relief aspect of DHS and examined the link between DHS and implicit relief. The research revealed that while relief may play a significant role in the initiation of DHS, its effectiveness decreases over time as learned associations and anticipated consequences become automated. Tice et al. (2001) suggested that the connection between DHS or maladaptive behaviours and relief resembles theories proposed by Hoerl (2015) and Sweeny and Vohs (2012), which propose that relief reinforces behaviour, whether positive or negative.

Relief is the sensation of pleasant surprise or reassurance that can trigger a significant emotional response. Experiences of relief may contain sudden relaxation, audible sighs of relief, or an overwhelming feeling of happiness. For instance, one might feel a rush of happiness and relief when narrowly avoiding a car accident through a split-second decision, often referred to as a "near-miss" situation.

Quiz Ulrich (1987) This study hasn't been mentioned? suggests that being and spending time in a natural environment can promote relief and reduce stress. False True

Relief and avoidance

Figure 4. Display of fear shown through though faical expression.

High levels of fear and avoidance often characterise anxiety disorders. Avoidance is a defensive action that serves to prevent and reduce confrontational experiences. It can be an effective response to recall threats but sometimes is unnecessary and undesired in non-threatening situations. When a person removes themselves from such situations they experience relief from anticipatory fear. This experience can reinforce the avoidance behaviour leading to even more significant avoidance after experiencing relief. However, relief from fear may not be a motivation for avoidance or a reinforcer as avoidance persists despite the decreasing level of fear . Criticism of the relief-from-fear theory is that fear and avoidance diverge in both clinical and laboratory settings.

Relief and decision-making

According to Hoerl (2015)), experiencing relief after a negative situation can result in increasing engagement in unpleasant but beneficial activities. Meanwhile, Sweeny and Vohs (2012) suggest that relief from task completion can motivate individuals to finish unpleasant tasks. For instance, completing a marathon in bad weather may motivate further runs. However, empirical studies have yet to examine such suggestions. Additionally, the experience of relief after a near-miss may lead individuals to adopt a more cautious approach in the future, thus becoming risk-averse . However, there is a contrasting view that relief is the opposite of regret and should reinforce past behaviour rather than promote avoidance . As regret encourages individuals to alter their choices, relief is expected to positively reinforce past decisions.

Relief following the death of loved ones

When it comes to the loss of a loved one, studies suggest that caregivers may experience relief or distress . Bonanno (2001) found that depressed caregivers show a reduction after loss. However, other studies on dementia caregivers did not report reduced distress, but rather the opposite. It's important to note that these studies did not directly assess the feeling of relief, but rather relied on the reduction of pre-loss symptoms as an indicator of stress reduction .

Schulz (2003)found that 70% of caregivers feel somewhat relieved after the loss while a second study found that African American caregivers reported fewer feelings of relief compared to American caregivers . Note that both studies assessed dementia caregivers. Furthermore, no empirical studies examining the extent of relief and its association with bereavement were identified. Given that the risk factor interaction is complex, research on the involvement of internal perception and personal coping mechanisms may further guide coping intervention. An example is when stressors may relate to a feeling of relief which may influence the bereavement outcomes. Based on the limited evidence for feelings of relief after the loss of loved ones, more research is required.

Relief and socio-emotional competition

In terms of socio-emotional competitions, a study found that adolescents and young adults experience relief in competitive situations, while children do not. Additionally, adolescents felt more relief after obtaining an initial loss than a win. This may be due to the social context of competition and how it affects sensitivity to losses .

Quiz What did Hoerl (2015) suggest about experiencing relief after a negative situation? Increased engagement in unpleasant activities Decreased engagement in unpleasant activities Nothing happens

Conclusion

 Add clear description of what relief is Relief is an emotional experience that emerges from various psychological concepts and triggers. Relief is commonly associated with the antonym of regret, responsible for providing positivity when comparing an outcome to worse alternatives. Relief can be understood through counterfactual emotions, where downward counterfactual thinking is essential. Though relief is relatively understudied, it is significant in decision-making, emotional processing and coping strategies.

Near-miss relief is narrowingly avoiding negative experiences often eliciting counterfactual thinking influencing behaviour intentions. In comparison, task-completion relief follows the completion of unpleasant tasks, reinforcing satisfaction and may encourage future task engagement. The interaction between the two types of relief suggests that relief is not a uniform emotional experience but rather adapts to specific antecedents and outcomes.

Relief's association with avoidance behaviour and anxiety is believed to play a role in reinforcing behaviours aimed at preventing negative outcomes. The concept of prevention relief occurs from the absence of expected negative stimulation while stopping relief follows the end of the negative experience.

The experience of relief may provide an indirect advantage. Our sense of relief is drawn from past experiences, allowing us to anticipate when relief might occur again. Relief, being a positive emotion, can motivate individuals to persevere through challenging and unpleasant situations. For instance, students may find daunting exams easier to complete if they anticipate the relief they'll feel once the exam is completed. A study conducted by Lee Shepherd in 2016 examined health behaviour in the context of cancer self-examination and discovered that participants were more likely to engage in testicular cancer self-examination if they anticipated the reassuring relief of obtaining positive results.

To enhance or elicit the positive sensations associated with relief, physical and mindful activities can be beneficial. As suggested by Ulrich in 1987, spending time in a natural environment can promote relief and reduce stress. Other activities that can induce relief include exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, practising meditation, and connecting with others.

Despite relief being associated with decision-making and comping, empirical research is limited. Future studies examining the interaction between relief and other emotional experiences, as well as exploration of its implication in promoting positive behaviours and psychological well-being, are required.

See also

• Regret (Book chapter, 2016){{ic|include source in parentheses like this}
• Anticipation
• Guilt
• Positive emotion
• Gratitude and subjective wellbeing
• Happiness

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External links

• Ted talk on emotional first aid (Ted)
• Grief and Relief: Is it wrong to feel relieved when someone dies?
• How to protect your brain from stress | Niki Korteweg | TEDxAmsterdamWomen
• Stress relievers: Tips to tame stress
• 15 Minute Guided Meditation to Release Suppressed Emotions | Mindful Movement
• Relief