Empowering Lives - Research - Center for Emotions and Positive Psychology

Center for Emotions and Positive Psychology

Overview and Aims

The Center for Emotions and Positive Psychology focuses on research on discrete emotions, affective processes, and emotions-related skills. In 2018, the center broadened its focus to include research on positive emotions, psychological strengths, and traits – factors identified by the positive psychology literature that help individuals thrive and flourish. Since its formation in 2016, the center has produced numerous academic pieces for presentation at regional and international conferences, along with peer-reviewed publications and popular press articles. The center is also involved in several outreach and training projects, part of its science communication initiative aimed at conveying findings from the psychological sciences to members of the general population. The Center houses a website to feature its work at www.emotivity.my

Key Research Areas

Discrete positive/pleasant and negative/unpleasant emotions and their implications for interpersonal and organizational performance.
Affective processes such as emotional contagion and empathy.
Emotion-related skills, particularly emotional intelligence.
Discrete positive emotions such as hope, gratitude, and compassion.
Positive psychology traits such as trait optimism, courage, and resilience.

Ongoing/Completed Research

Psychological strengths: Examination of strengths and traits identified in the positive psychology literature (courage, hope, optimism) that enhance individuals’ capacity for recovery and growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cross-cultural study of collective action: A study on cultural differences shape both identity and emotions in influencing individuals’ decision to engage in collective action.
Cross-cultural study on emotion co-regulation: A study on cultural differences influencing how individuals assist others in managing their emotions.
Hope and optimism among marginalized members of society. Dr Eugene Tee, Raja Intan Arifah, Tamil Selvan Ramis and Lauren Chai Jia-Qi have completed a study examining the role of hope and optimism as factors predicting wellbeing among Malaysians who faced financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was funded by an internal grant. (Results of the study have been written up and are presently under its second round of revision for a special issue of Psychological Studies titled ‘Psychology of Well-being in the Margins” South Asian and Southeast Asian Research.” The issue’s publication is scheduled for June 2022.)
Normative and non-normative collective actions: Identity, emotions, and cultural dimensions. Dr Eugene Tee and Raja Intan Arifah have completed data collection for a cross-cultural study on the psychological drivers of collective action. The project is in collaboration with collaborators from Asia, America, and Europe. This study was funded by an internal grant. The Open Science Framework page for this project can be viewed here: https://osf.io/nurh6/
Beyond resilience: A study of psychological strengths. Dr Eugene Tee, Raja Intan Arifah, Evone Phoo and Dr Ng Siew Li collaborated with researchers from the University of Tsukuba, Japan and Dalian Maritime University, China to examine psychological strengths that aid in recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Data collection for this study commenced on 16th June 2020 and is funded by an internal grant. (Results of the study have been written up have been published in BMC Research Notes. Another paper, employing a separate Malaysian sample and co-authored with Karuna Thomas, is presently under review in another journal.)

Selected List of Publications and Research Output: Academic

Sugawara, D., Yuan, G. Masuyama, A. Ng, S.L., Phoo, E.Y.M., Raja Reza Shah, R., Kubo, T., Chishima, Y. & Tee, E.Y.J. (2021). RE-COVER project: A survey on resilience, mental health, and fear of Covid-19 in four countries. BMC Research Notes, 14, 409 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05819-x

Wan Ali Munawar, N.I.F. & Tee, E.Y.J., (2021). The relationship between emotion regulation and well-being during the pandemic: Resilience as a mediator, in Louis, D.G.J., Kaur, S. & Cheong, H.F. (eds.). COVID-19 and Psychology in Malaysia: Psychosocial Effects, Coping, and Resilience. United Kingdom: Routledge.

Tee, E. Y. J., Raja Reza Shah, R., Thomas, K. S., Ng, S., & Mun, E. P. Y. (2021, March 24). Beyond resilience: Promotive and protective traits that facilitate recovery during crisis. PsyArXiv, https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/p2h35

Shah, R., Thomas, K.S., Ng, S.L., Phoo, E.Y.M. & Tee, E.Y.J. (2021). ‘Beyond resilience: A study of psychological strengths that facilitate recovery and growth,’ paper accepted for presentation at the 32nd International Congress of Psychology (ICP), 18th-23rd July 2021, Prague, Czech Republic.

Tee, E.Y.J. (2020). Uncovering the trail of positive affect in the job attitudes literature: A systematic review. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 54-68. doi: 10.1111/ajsp.12398

Tang, J.C. & Tee, E.Y.J. (2020). ‘The mediating effect of optimism and self-efficacy on the relationship between hope and career readiness,’ paper accepted for presentation at the 32nd International Congress of Psychology (ICP), 18th-23th July 2021, Prague, Czech Republic (Poster Presentation).

Shah, R., & Tee, E.Y.J. (2019). Identifying with the In-group Increases Aggressive Tendencies against the Out-group: The Mediating Role of Schadenfreude, in Ashkanasy, N.M., Zerbe, W. & Härtel, C.E.J. (eds.). Research on Emotion in Organizations, Volume 15, 113-132. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Guo, Z.Z., Raja Reza Shah, R.I.A., Ooi, W.L., Ramis, T. & Tee, E.Y.J. (2019). ‘A Cross-cultural Comparison on Mental Toughness and Self-defeating Behaviours in North American and Malaysian Samples.’ Presented at the 2019 Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) 80th Annual National Convention, 31st May – 2nd June 2019, Halifax, Canada.

Razavi, P., Tee, E.Y.J., Sugawara, D., Lin, P., Razavi, P., Lieber, S., Niella, T., Navaja, J., Srivastava, S. & Saucier, G. (2019). Similarities and differences in the expression of six emotions in Malaysia and the US.’ Presented at the 2019 Society for Affective Science (SAS) Conference, 21st-23rd March 2019, Boston, United States.

Tee, E.Y.J. (2019). Emotions across five levels of analysis: History and frontiers, plenary presentation at the 7th ARUPS Congress: ASEAN Regional Union of Psychological Sciences and 3rd Malaysian International Psychology Conference (MIPC), 4th August 2019, Penang, Malaysia.

Tee, E.Y.J., Ramis, T., Fernandez, E.F. & Paulsen, N. (2017). Responding to Injustice: Perception, Anger, and Identification as Drivers of Collective Action, in Zerbe, W. (ed.). Research on Emotion in Organizations, Volume 13, 17-46. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Conference Papers and Presentations

Tee, E.Y.J. & Raja Reza Shah, R.I.A. (2021). ‘A broaden and build framework of self-transcendent emotions for organizational effectiveness,’ paper presented at the 81st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AoM), 29th July-4th August 2021 (Virtual). https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/AMBPP.2021.12006abstract

Tang, J.C. & Tee, E.Y.J. (2021). ‘The mediating effect of optimism and self-efficacy on the relationship between hope and career readiness,’ paper accepted for presentation at the 32nd International Congress of Psychology (ICP), 18th-23rdJuly 2021, Prague, Czech Republic (Poster Presentation).

Tan, A.H.L. & Tee, E.Y.J. (2021). ‘Sceptical, apathetic, or cynical?’ Disaffection mediates the online political engagement-efficacy link, paper accepted for presentation at the 32nd International Congress of Psychology (ICP), 18th-23rd July 2021, Prague, Czech Republic.

Books and Popular Press

Books

The Science of Feelings: What Psychological Research Tells Us About Our Emotions. Sunway University Press. ISBN: 978-967-5492-21-1.

Mindfulness and Emotions: Understanding your Mind and the Benefits of Being Present (2019), with Sandy Clarke. MPH Publishing. ISBN: 978-967-415-510-0. This book is also available on Amazon Kindle at http://bit.ly/Mindfulness-Emotions-US.

Of Bromances and Biting Cute Babies: Questions about Emotions You (Probably) Never Thought of Asking (2018), with Tsee Leng Choy, PhD. Inspiration Hub. ISBN: 978-967-0730-30-1.

Popular Press Articles

Positive Psychology: Harnessing the Good and Right in People, Leaderonomics, 12th April 2020. Available at: https://leaderonomics.com/leadership/positive-psychology-harness-good-people
Love at Work: On Loving Your Colleagues, Having a Work Spouse, and Managing Office Romances, Leaderonomics, 13th February 2020. Available at: https://leaderonomics.com/personal/love-at-work-on-loving-your-colleagues-having-a-work-spouse-and-managing-office-romances
Blinded by Unawareness: Why We’re Not as Self-Aware as We Think Ourselves to Be, Leaderonomics, 3rd December 2019. Available at: https://leaderonomics.com/personal/blind-by-unawareness
Crisis Communication: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Leaderonomics, 10th September 2019. Available at: https://leaderonomics.com/business/crisis-communication-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly
What’s Your Persuasion Style? Influencing through Dominance and Prestige. The Star, 25th August 2018. Available at: https://leaderonomics.com/personal/the-elements-of-persuasion-dominance-prestige
Love Hurts: When You Serve and Give Until You Burn. The Star, 31st March 2018. Available at: https://leaderonomics.com/leadership/the-pitfalls-of-servant-leadership
The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions (and Lies to Oneself). Leaderonomics. The Star, 27th May 2017. Available at: https://leaderonomics.com/functional/disengagement-unethical-leadership

Outreach: Events/Training

Members of the Center for Emotions and Positive Psychology have conducted training sessions, talks, workshop and webinars for the following organizations:

Lazada – “Listen to Your Heart: Tips for Being Emotionally Intelligent During Difficult Times” (2021).
Rizing MY – “Five Things We Learnt about Mental Health from the MCO Period.” (2020).
Integrated Global Solutions (IGSB) – “Emotional Intelligence for Resilience-Building” (2020).
JP Morgan – “Leading with Emotional Intelligence Forum” (2020).
Malaysian Association of Certified Coaches (MACC) – “The Emotionally Intelligent Coach: Cultivating Trainee Skills and Strengths for Personal and Professional Success” (2019).
Deleum Berhad – “Getting to Grips with Mindfulness” (2018).
New Zealand High Commission – “Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Competencies” (2018).
World Vision Malaysia – “Building Psychological Resilience and Overcoming Stress” (2017).
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group (MSIG) – “Emotional Intelligence for Personal and Professional Success” (2016).

Media

MySejahtera Adding Mental Health Tools. On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM 89.9, first aired 25th October 2021. Podcast available at: https://bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-mysejahtera-mental-health-tools
Doomscrolling: Mental Health, Malaysian Politics, and the Pandemic. On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM89.9 first aired 20th August 2021. Podcast available at: https://bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-doomscrolling-malaysian-politics-mental-health-pandemic
Who are the world’s unhappiest employees? On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM89.9 first aired 18th June 2021. Podcast available at: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-worlds-unhappiest-employees
Introverts: Antisocial or Misunderstood? On Today I Learned BFM89.9 first aired 1st June 2021. Podcast available at: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/today-i-learned/introverts-antisocial-or-misunderstood
Work stress may be changing your personality. On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM89.9 first aired 26th April 2021. Podcast available at: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-work-stress-personality-change
The relationship between friends and success. On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM89.9 first aired 30th March 2021. Podcast available at: https://bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-relationship-friends-success
The toy industry proves escapism sells. On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM89.9 first aired 26th February 2021. Podcast available at: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-escapism-sellsmany-people-have-been-frustrated-stressed-and-worried-throughout-the-pandemi
Should making money be a 2021 goal? On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM89.9 first aired 7th January 2021. Podcast available at: https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-making-money-2021-goal
Why you miss casual friends and people you barely knew. On The Daily Digest BFM89.9 first aired 8th February 2021. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/the-daily-digest/why-you-miss-casual-friends-and-people-you-barely-knew
Have you been doomscrolling? (And how to stop), On The Daily Digest BFM89.9, first aired 6th November 2020. Podcast available at https://bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/the-daily-digest/have-you-been-doomscrolling-and-how-to-stop
Retail familiarity is key during a pandemic. On Enterprise Biz Bytes BFM89.9, first aired 30th November 2020. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-retail-familiarity-pandemic
Your Most Productive Hour, According to Science On Enterprise Biz Bytes, BFM89.9, first aired 22nd September 2020. Podcast available at https://bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/enterprise-biz-bytes/ent-bb-most-productive-hour-science
It Doesn’t Mean I’m Lonely when I’m Alone On The Daily Digest, BFM89.9, first aired 27th August 2020. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/the-daily-digest/it-doesnt-mean-im-lonely-when-im-alone
Touch Me (Not): The Effects of Touch Deprivation AKA “Skin Hunger,” BFM89.9, first aired 24th April 2020. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/the-daily-digest/effects-of-touch-deprivation-skin-hunger
On Dealing with Stress during the MCO, Star Property. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=566550657304417
It’s OK to be Unproductive, BFM 89.9, first aired 2nd April 2020. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/podcast/evening-edition/evening-edition/its-ok-to-be-unproductive
Dealing with Fear and Panic During an Outbreak, BFM89.9, first aired 10th February 2020. Podcast available at https://bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/the-daily-digest/dealing-with-fear-and-panic-during-an-outbreak
Happiness in a Material World on Enterprise Biz Bytes, BFM89.9, first aired 13th August 2019. Podcast available at http://manager.bfm.my/ent-bb-happiness-material-world-richard-branson.html
Living Alone and Loneliness on The Bigger Picture, BFM89.8, first aired 8th May 2019. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/the-daily-digest/dd-living-alone-loneliness
Mindfulness and Emotions, BFM89.8, first aired 15th April 2019. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/podcast/enterprise/raise-your-game/ent-ofb-midfulness-and-emotions
Unhappy Malaysians, BFM89.9, first aired 25th March 2019. Podcast available at https://www.bfm.my/unhappy-malaysians.html

Webinars, Podcasts and/or Miscellaneous Engagements

Emotions across Five Levels of Analysis: History and Frontiers. Research incubator webinar conducted for Dalian Maritime University, 23rd November 2021.
Emotion Regulation and Dysregulation. Interactive webinar conducted for University of Malaya-Wales, 27th October 2021.
Science of Psychology and Cultivating Resilience. The Star Metro, 5th October 2021. Available at: https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2021/10/05/science-of-psychology-and-cultivating-resilience
Youth Well-being: Addressing the Health and Mental Health Challenges during the Pandemic. Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, 16th July 2021. Available at: https://fb.watch/8vJ9MeZPgE/

Members

Associate Professor Dr Eugene YJ Tee (HELP University): teeyj@help.edu.my
Ms Raja Intan Arifah binti Raja Reza Shah (HELP University)
Ms Sybella Ng (ThinkInt)