diff --git a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/EmailNotifications.js b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/EmailNotifications.js
index 025b39f98420336584e02dbbd0e5865204302840..ac99e41040a65087482f697529ecb414c4f3f805 100644
--- a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/EmailNotifications.js
+++ b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/EmailNotifications.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import {
 
 import { Row, RowItem, LabelHeader, LinkText } from '../UIComponents/FormItems'
 
-const EmailNotifications = ({ subscribed = '', subscribe, unsubscribe }) => (
+const EmailNotifications = ({ subscribed, subscribe, unsubscribe }) => (
   <Root>
     <Row noMargin>
       <RowItem>
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export default compose(
         title: 'Subscribe to emails',
         subtitle: 'Are you sure you want to subscribe to emails?',
         onConfirm: () => {
-          changeEmailSubscription(userId, false)
+          changeEmailSubscription(userId, true)
           hideModal()
         },
         onCancel: hideModal,
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ export default compose(
         title: 'Unsubscribe from emails',
         subtitle: 'Are you sure you want to unsubscribe from emails?',
         onConfirm: () => {
-          changeEmailSubscription(userId, true)
+          changeEmailSubscription(userId, false)
           hideModal()
         },
         onCancel: hideModal,
diff --git a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/UserProfilePage.js b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/UserProfilePage.js
index 7e4e7cbd7ca651475ac08983c561ff580f27607c..7784633452e1a4a2988b6b00ad4e50556162fc32 100644
--- a/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/UserProfilePage.js
+++ b/packages/components-faraday/src/components/UserProfile/UserProfilePage.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ const UserProfilePage = ({ history, user, changeEmailSubscription }) => (
     <AccountDetails history={history} user={user} />
     <EmailNotifications
       changeEmailSubscription={changeEmailSubscription}
-      subscribed={get(user, 'notifications.email.user')}
+      subscribed={get(user, 'notifications.email.user', true)}
       userId={get(user, 'id')}
     />
     <LinkOrcID id={get(user, 'id')} orcid={get(user, 'orcid')} />