ABSTRACT
Affect is a defining feature of social relationships, and affective reactions often constitute the primary dimension in the way we react to other people (Fitness and Strongman, 1991; Forgas, 2002; Leary, 2000; Zajonc, 2000; see also Chapters 2 and 15 in this volume). Although the last two decades saw something akin to “affective revolution” in psychological research (see also Forgas, 2002, 2006), we are still a long way from fully understanding the age-old puzzle about the relationship between the rational and the emotional aspects of human nature (Hilgard, 1980). Nowhere is this link more important than in understanding relationship processes. This chapter seeks to review some recent lines of evidence suggesting that mild affective states or moods can have a significant influence on both the content and the process of how people think and behave in their personal relationships.
