Table of ContentsVoter ParticipationEmotionVoter Participation and EmotionConclusionMany academics and political scientists have long studied and attempted to understand voter turnout in the United States, the reason it is in overall decline, as well as the psychological factors that explain why people vote. Declining voter turnout is often attributed to structural factors such as lack of mass mobilization, systematic bias, and an overall decline in social capital, as well as individual factors such as one's opinion of government /political elites, lack of personal incentives. or even psychological factors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Although there are several reasons why voter turnout is steadily declining, ultimately it is a result of the emotion and cognitive decision of each individual. -manufacturing. The psychology of emotions is a complex science in which we often try to understand how emotion affects decision-making as well as the rationality of the decisions made. This review addresses the psychology of emotions, particularly emotions in the positive spectrum, and how they influence a person's involvement in the political process. Research demonstrates a difference between strong positive emotions and subtle positive emotions and their correlation with the desire to vote as well as the rationality of one's decision-making. Voter Turnout Over the past few decades, voter turnout has been in steady decline. Researchers hypothesize about the reasons for this decline, which vary wildly, covering topics such as views on government/political elites, systematic bias, decline in social capital, and much more. (Martinez, 2010, Rosenstone and Hansen, 1993). In a democratic republic like the United States, citizens are supposed to direct the democratic process. If many citizens have unfavorable views of political elites, this could play a huge role in how they vote, as well as voter turnout in general. For example, if a particular person has an unfavorable opinion of both presidential candidates, they are more likely to not take the time to vote (Dalton, 2006). Arend Lijphart of Cambridge University (1997) discusses low voter turnout. and why it's a problem. He gives us several reasons as to why this is a serious problem, including systematic bias and unequal political influence. Additionally, he explains that midterm elections are less publicized and are perceived as less important by the public, which could decrease the desire to vote for these particular candidates. Lijphart also explained that voter turnout is, in fact, a universal problem, and that it is not just a problem in the United States. Furthermore, many researchers argue that the decline of social capital and the rise of technology played an important role in the decline in voter turnout (Putnam, 1995, Teixeira, 1992). Robert Putnam's Tuning in, Tuning Out: The Strange Disappearance of Social Capital in America (1995) discusses the formation and disappearance of social capital in the United States over the past 100 years. Putnam examines topics such as education, civil rights, technology, and economic fluctuations, and how they affect social capital and social activities such as voting. Although many authors andScholars have looked into the causes of low voter turnout and the problems it causes, many of them addressing potential solutions. Elements such as personal incentives, political mobilization, campaign visibility, and giving equal voice to all demographic groups can all help increase voter turnout (Gerber and Green, 2000, Jackman, 1987, Lijphart, 1997, Verba and Brady, 1995).EmotionPsychological and emotional behaviors have long been attributed to political attitudes and electoral participation. Emotions, whether positive or negative, have a huge impact on how we feel about certain people, how we behave, and perhaps most importantly, the decisions we make. Many researchers have studied and attempted to understand emotions and how they affect our decision-making, whether those decisions are political, professional, or personal. The psychology of emotions is constantly evolving and allows scientists to adopt a new approach in their studies. For example, early psychological studies conducted by Charles Darwin observed emotional reactions in both humans and animals. Darwin states that humans and animals express emotions in very similar ways and communicate with each other through expressions (Darwin, 1998). More recent studies examine moral reasoning, judgment, first impressions, and emotional responses (Davis, 1994, Eagley and Chaiken, 1993, Panksepp, 1998, Smith and Ellsworth, 1985). The article Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences (Zajonc, 1980) attempts to explain emotional responses to stimuli and how our immediate emotional responses are often unavoidable. Additionally, it addresses the relationship between decision making and how certain decisions are better made with less emotional influence. It states that "affect and cognition are under the control of distinct and partially independent systems that can influence each other in various ways, and both of which constitute independent sources of effects in information processing." According to the article, it could be inferred that decisions are more rational and better made when we are not influenced by strong emotions. Willis, J. and Todorov, A. (2006) support Zajonc's studies in their research entitled First impressions: decision after 100 Ms exposure to a face. The study uses 5 judgment-driven experiments to understand first impressions. The methods attempted to use exposure time to specific people to see how it affected the participant's judgment. These judgments arise from attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness. Several other studies and experiments have been helpful in understanding what emotion is, why it is important, and how it plays a role in the decisions we make and the impressions we have. Although it is an ever-evolving study, as demonstrated previously, it is crucial that the psychology of emotion is continually studied in order to better understand trends in human behavior. Voter Participation and EmotionAccording to research provided, emotion and emotional responses can influence the decisions we make as well as how we make them, which includes political decisions such as voter turnout. There is a spectrum of emotions and psychological studies that have a major influence on a person's participation in the political process, but..