Eddie Harmon Jones

Eddie Harmon-Jones is professor of psychology at the University of New South Wales. He is recognized for his research on social neuroscience, cognitive dissonance, and the motivating aspects of emotions.

Contents

• Awards Honours
• Selected Publications Journal Articles
• Publications Books
• References

Beginning in the late 1990s, Harmon-Jones and his colleagues began a series of studies examining whether affective valence (positive vs. negative affect) or motivational direction (approach vs. withdrawal) best explained the relationship between properties of emotions and left vs. right prefrontal cortical activation. Prior to this work, most researchers thought the left prefrontal cortex was involved in the expression and experience of positive emotions, whereas the right prefrontal cortex was involved in the expression and experience of negative emotions. However, the past research had confounded positivity with approach motivation (and negativity with withdrawal motivation), so that all tests examined positive emotions associated with approach motivation inclinations (joy that urges one to move toward the source of the joy).

By investigating anger, a negative emotion that urges approach motivation, Harmon-Jones and colleagues were able to tease apart the valence from motivational direction views. They found that anger caused greater relative left frontal cortical activity, and thus posited that asymmetrical frontal cortical activity was due to motivational direction rather than affective valence.

Harmon-Jones' research has been covered in national news on several occasions.