Associations between Stress Mindset and Changes in Positive Affect during a Speech Task: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

A stress mindset is an individual’s belief that stress has either enhancing (stress-is-enhancing mindset: SEM) or debilitating (stress-is-debilitating mindset: SDM) consequences. This study examined the associations between SEM and changes in positive affect during a speech task using a sample of 32 Japanese college students as participants. It was hypothesized that participants with SEM would show a greater increase in positive affect over time than those with SDM. The participants rested for three minutes, prepared for three minutes, delivered a speech about themselves in front of an evaluator and video camera (task period), and again rested for three minutes. Positive affect was measured immediately after the two resting periods and during the speech. The participants were divided into groups of 17 and 15 in the SEM and SDM groups, respectively, based on their stress mindset scores. Both groups were fairly matched concerning age and male/female ratio. Change patterns of positive affect did not differ between the two groups, which did not support the hypothesis. However, positive affect was significantly higher in the SEM group compared with the SDM group. The present results differed from previous findings reported in North America. Inconsistent results are discussed related to differences in the speech task and cross-cultural variations of happiness and coping with stressors between North America and Japan.