Researchers primed people to experience a positive or negative emotional state. Then they first flashed images on a screen to test scope of focus. Those feeling more positive had more expansive visual perception. Then second they asked them to focus on their state and then respond to a fill in the blank like I would like to _____. This is meant to assess the expansiveness of their “though-action repertoire” — in a given moment how many responses to a situation can a person readily consider. Those feeling positive had a more expansive array of potential actions.

Fredrickson BL, Branigan C. Positive emotions broaden the scope of attention and thought-action repertoires. Cogn Emot. 2005 May 1;19(3):313-332. doi: 10.1080/02699930441000238. PMID: 21852891; PMCID: PMC3156609.