Linking anxiety to passion: Emotion regulation and entrepreneurs' pitch performance

Lily Yuxuan Zhu, Maia J Young and Christopher W. Bauman

Journal of Business Venturing, 2024, vol. 39, issue 5

Abstract: We investigate a strategy entrepreneurs can use to manage their emotions prior to pitching: linking anxiety to passion. We theorize that internally acknowledging anxiety and interpreting it as a reflection of one's passion for the venture can make passionate feelings salient, facilitate expressions of passion during pitches, and increase judges' evaluations of pitch performance. A field study and a randomized experiment support the theory, offering insights for how entrepreneurs can mentally reframe their seemingly detrimental emotional experiences for beneficial outcomes. More broadly, this work demonstrates the utility of fostering beneficial emotions rather than just alleviating negative ones.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial passion; Anxiety; Emotion regulation; Reappraisal; Pitching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:39:y:2024:i:5:s0883902624000430

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2024.106421

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