Emotions and Spillover Effects of Social Networks Affective Well Being

Abstract

A growing body of literature supports the notion that the well-being of individuals is influenced by their social networks site (SNS) experiences. In this research, the authors analyze the effect of such SNS experience perceptions, termed social networks affective well-being (SNAWB) on behavior in non-SNS sites. Specifically, the authors ask if the visual interface design of a non-SNS site affects the level to which the decisions made in that site are influenced by the decision maker's SNAWB. Relating to theory on emotion and action readiness, this research hypothesizes on the expected effects of a visual interface design that includes elements that may trigger SNS-related emotions. To test the hypothesis, this paper conducts two experiments: 1) an online experiment and 2) a controlled lab experiment with eye-tracking. The results show that individuals' decisions are affected by the level to which the website interface design may trigger SNS emotions. The results further provide evidence on the emotional process leading to different effects according to the type of decision made.