Positive emotion and the regulation of interpersonal relationships

Emotions serve a wide range of important social functions, including the regulation of interpersonal relationships, Positive emotions, although understudied, are particularly critical to the formation and maintenance of social bonds. This chapter presents a framework for understanding the social functions of positive emotion, associating specific positive emotions with particular types of relationships and particular regulatory tasks. Evidence for the importance of positive emotion experience and expression in regulating interpersonal relationships is reviewed according to this framework, and implications for future research on the social functions of positive emotion are discussed.