Flexible effects of positive mood on self-focused attention.

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Paul Silvia, Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: How moods influence self-focused attention is controversial. One model (Sedikides &Green, 2000) predicts that different moods have different effects on self-focus; another model (Salovey, 1992) predicts that all moods increase self-focus. Both models, however, imply that moods have fixed effects on self-focused attention. We suggest that mood has flexible effects on self-focus depending on contextual variables. An experiment manipulated mood (positive vs. neutral) and situational demand (low vs. high) and then measured self-focus. Positive mood decreased self-focus when people expected to work on a subsequent self-relevant task; positive mood increased self-focus when people were not informed of the task. The results demonstrate how mood interacts with situational factors to influence self-focused attention. The discussion considers implications for theories of how emotions affect self-awareness.

Additional Information

Publication
Cognition and Emotion, 19, 623-631
Language: English
Date: 2005
Keywords
Moods, Self-focused attention,

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