In general terms, then, positive emotions appear to “ enlarge” the cognitive context (Isen, 1987), an effect recently linked to increases in brain dopamine levels (Ashby, Isen, & Turken, 1999). Such cognitive expansiveness is consistent with the hypothesis, drawn from the broaden-and-build theory, that positive emotions widen the array of thoughts and actions that come to mind. Even so, a direct test of the broadening hypothesis was necessary, one that compared the effects of multiple positive and negative emotions with a neutral condition, using a dependent measure that corresponds closely to the breadth of the momentary thought-action repertoire. The twin hypotheses are that, relative to neutral, nonemotional states, distinct types of positive emotions broaden people’s thought-action repertoires, whereas distinct types of negative emotions narrow these same repertoires.