Positive Affect: Nature, Neurochemistry and Function
2 - 6 March 2020
Venue: Lorentz Center@Snellius
If you are invited or already registered for this workshop, you have received login details by email.A meaningful and healthy life is characterized by a variety of positive experiences. However, despite growing appreciation of the importance of positive emotions, there is to date no integrated scientific account of what positive emotions are (nature), how they are generated in the brain (neurochemistry) and how they relate to and influence cognition (function). In this workshop we aim to build an integrative multi-disciplinary framework by bringing together researchers that study positive emotions within different disciplines, covering affective science, social and cognitive psychology and affective and clinical neuroscience.
Monday March 2
10:00 – 10:30 Arrival, registration and coffee
10:30 – 10:45 Welcome by the Lorentz Center organization
10:45 – 11:00 Workshop organizers: explain workshop plan, main topics and goals.
Mention Special Issue and grants.
11:00 – 12:15 Blitz talks (3 minutes max) by all participants
12:15 – 13:30 Lunch@Snellius cafeteria
13:30 – 14:30 Today’s moderator: Michelle "Lani" Shiota
Key Questions 1: What is a meaningful taxonomy of positive emotions?
What is their evolutionary origin?
3 talks, each 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion
- James A Russell
- Disa Sauter
- Michelle "Lani" Shiota
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 – 16:30 Discussion of Key Questions 1 in small groups of max 5 participants.
16:30 – 17:30 Each small group representative provides a summary of their discussion.
Followed by a plenary discussion chaired by moderator.
17:30 Wine and Cheese party, also open to visitors
Tuesday March 3
10:00 – 11:30 Today’s moderator: Brian Knutson
Key Questions 2a: How can positive affect be induced and measured?
How do hedonic states differ from (approach) motivation?
4 talks, each 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion
- Pieter Desmet
- Lotte van Dillen
- Tom Johnstone
- Lauri Nummenmaa
11:30 – 13:30 Lunch@Snellius cafeteria
13:30 – 14:30 Key Questions 2b: How do hedonic states differ from (approach) motivation?
3 talks, each 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion
- Agnes Moors
- Blair Saunders
- Louk Vanderschuren
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 – 16:30 Discussion of Key Questions 2 in small groups of max 5 participants.
16:30 – 17:00 Each small group representative provides a summary of their discussion.
Followed by a plenary discussion chaired by moderator
Wednesday March 4
10:00 – 11:30 Today’s moderator: Gesine Dreisbach
Key Questions 3a: What are positive emotions good for?
4 talks, each 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion
- Guido Gendolla
- Eran Eldar
- Mathias Pessiglione
- Esther K. Papies
11:30 – 13:30 Lunch@Snellius cafeteria
13:30 – 14:30 Key Questions 3b: How do positive affect and motivation influence cognition?
3 talks, each 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion
- Gesine Dreisbach
- Henk van Steenbergen
- Gilles Pourtois
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 – 16:30 Discussion of Key Questions 3 in small groups of max 5 participants.
16:30 – 17:00 Each small group representative provides a summary of their discussion.
Followed by a plenary discussion chaired by moderator.
17:00 Travel to social event
18:00 1-hour boat trip through Leiden City Center (heated and covered)
followed by dinner at Verboden Toegang
Thursday March 5
10:00 – 11:30 Today’s moderator: Siri Leknes
Key Questions 4: What neural and neurochemical systems support affect and
motivation and how do they interact? What neurocognitive processes underlie
disturbed positive affect in psychopathology?
4 talks, each 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion
- Brian Knutson
- Philip Gable
- Jeffrey Burgdorf
- David Sander
11:30 – 13:30 Lunch@Snellius cafeteria
13:30 – 14:30 3 talks, each 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion
- Siri Leknes
- Stephanie Preston
- Marie-Jose van Tol
- June Gruber (?)
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 – 16:30 Discussion of Key Questions 4 in small groups of max 5 participants.
16:30 – 17:00 Each small group representative provides a summary of their discussion.
Followed by a plenary discussion chaired by moderator
Friday March 6
10:00 – 11:00 Plenary discussion of results and next steps, including structure of
perspective paper and target journal + deadlines
11:00 – 12:30 Wrap-up and division of work for writing the publications / grants. Fixing of
roadmap authors per section (agree on responsibilities and expectations for
contributions).
12:30 – 13:45 Lunch@Snellius cafeteria
13:45 – 16:00 Optional: Working individually or in small groups on the different sections of the
paper(s). Individuals can discuss practical matters and make a realistic time
schedule.
16:00 Closing remarks
