Engines of outrage: Experimental manipulation and behavioral effects

This two-part study utilizes lab and online platforms to investigate the efficacy of various methods for inducing anger and frustration, and to evaluate their impact on economic behavior. In the first part, a laboratory experiment tests conventional approaches (emotionally charged videos and autobiographical recall) alongside novel techniques (a malfunctioning Tetris game and an unexpected negative economic shock) across three domains: risk aversion, cheating, and the provision of biased recommendations. In the second part, an online experiment demonstrates the operational scalability of these induction methods and provides a targeted evaluation using cheating as the outcome. Across both platforms, emotional responses are measured using self-reported emotions. All methods successfully elevated self-reported anger, with traditional methods eliciting more intense responses. However, these increased levels of anger and frustration consistently failed to alter subjects’ decisions in any behavioral domain. We discuss the implications for experimental methodology and the theories of emotions and decision-making.