What is it about?
This study examines how emotions expressed by others influence people’s judgments of procedural justice, even when the fairness of a procedure is clear and unambiguous. Drawing on Emotion as Social Information (EASI) theory, the research tested whether observers rely on emotions such as happiness, anger, and guilt when evaluating fair and unfair procedures. Using an experimental design with 1,012 full-time employees in the United States, participants observed workplace scenarios in which a third party was treated fairly, unfairly, or with no clear information. The observed individual then expressed an emotion (happiness, anger, guilt, or no emotion). Participants evaluated both the other person’s fairness and their own fairness judgment as observers. The results show that emotions significantly influence justice perceptions not only in ambiguous situations (as predicted by EASI), but also in clearly fair and clearly unfair situations.
Featured Image
Photo by Domingo Alvarez E on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Challenges existing theory: Demonstrates that emotions matter even when procedural fairness is clear, extending and qualifying EASI theory. Highlights social spillover effects: Employees form justice judgments based on how others are treated—even without direct involvement. Explains observer-based justice: Fairness is socially constructed, not purely individual or procedural. Practical relevance: Leaders’ emotional displays and employees’ visible reactions can shape organizational justice perceptions far beyond the immediate interaction. Theoretical contribution: Shows that injustice and justice are not mirror opposites; emotions operate differently across fair and unfair contexts.
Perspectives
As a researcher in organizational justice, I have long been interested in how fairness judgments are formed beyond formal rules and procedures. This study reflects my belief that justice is inherently social. People do not evaluate fairness in isolation; they read emotional cues from others to interpret what is happening around them. What surprised us most was that emotions still mattered even when the situation was objectively fair or unfair. This finding suggests that leaders and organizations cannot rely on procedures alone—emotional signals expressed by employees and observers play a crucial role in shaping shared perceptions of justice.
Prof. Othman H Alkhadher
Kuwait University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Emotions as social information in unambiguous situations: role of emotions on procedural justice perception, Current Psychology, May 2023, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04640-y.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
