Emotions as motivators for information seeking: A conceptual analysis

This conceptual analysis of how emotions and feelings are characterized as motivators for information seeking draws on the appraisal theories suggesting that emotions motivate individuals by triggering action readiness to approach or avoid sources of information. The findings indicate that emotions and feelings motivate in five major ways: they start, expand, limit, or terminate the information-seeking process, or they lead to information avoidance. Information scientists have mainly characterized the motivational aspects of negatively colored emotions such as anxiety and fear while the role of positive emotions such as joy has remained secondary. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.