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Can the positive effects of inspiration be extended to different domains?
Author(s) -
Klein Jack W.,
Case Trevor I.,
Fitness Julie
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/jasp.12487
Subject(s) - relevance (law) , task (project management) , psychology , context (archaeology) , domain (mathematical analysis) , content (measure theory) , control (management) , social psychology , event (particle physics) , cognitive psychology , computer science , artificial intelligence , management , mathematical analysis , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , political science , law , economics , paleontology , biology
It is presently unknown whether inspiration extends across different domains: can a salesperson, for example, be inspired by a successful athlete? The present study investigated whether inspirational content must be relevant to a subsequent task to improve performance. Participants ( N = 70) wrote about a time they felt inspired in a sporting context (domain‐relevant), creative context (domain‐irrelevant); or amused (positive control). Participants then held a handgrip, with the option of giving up or continuing to exhaustion. Regardless of the relevance of the inspirational content to the performance task, inspired participants were less likely to give up than controls. This is the first research to show that the benefits of inspiration reach beyond the domain defined by the inspiring event.