The Affect Effect

Passion and emotion run deep in politics, but researchers have only recently begun to study how they influence our political thinking. Contending that the long-standing neglect of such feelings has left unfortunate gaps in our understanding of political behavior, The Affect Effect fills the void by providing a comprehensive overview of current research on emotion in politics and where it is likely to lead.

In sixteen seamlessly integrated essays, thirty top scholars approach this topic from a broad array of angles that address four major themes. The first section outlines the philosophical and neuroscientific foundations of emotion in politics, while the second focuses on how emotions function within and among individuals. The final two sections branch out to explore how politics work at the societal level and suggest the next steps in modeling, research, and political activity itself. Opening up new paths of inquiry in an exciting new field, this volume will appeal not only to scholars of American politics and political behavior, but also to anyone interested in political psychology and sociology.

W. Russell Neuman is the John Derby Evans Professor of Media Technology in Communication Studies in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. George E. Marcus is professor of political science at Williams College. Ann N. Crigler is professor of political science at the University of Southern California. Michael MacKuen is the Burton Craige Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina­–Chapel Hill.

“The Affect Effect is an excellent overview of research on emotion in politics and where that research is likely to head in the future. It’s on the cutting edge of a growing movement in the social sciences to explore the various intersections of neuroscience, biology, psychology, evolutionary economics, and the genetic bases of behavior. No one walking away from this book could entertain the notion that cognition is all that matters in political behavior: emotion is often the driving force behind—and works in conjunction with—cognition.”

"The Affect Effect contains numerous valuable contribtions to our understanding of the causes and effects of emotions in politics. By bringing together scholars from so many fields across the social sciences and subfields within political science, the volume will be especially useful in diversifying and expanding scholarship."

"The book should be of interest to scholars and practitioners alike given its relevance to contemporary politics. . . . Reading this book results in a greater understanding of how emotions are integral to voter decisions and the study of political campaigns."