Individual Differences in Mood Changes

Magdalena Nowicka,Magdalena Marszał-Wiśniewska

doi:10.1007/s10902-017-9879-5

Magdalena Nowicka, Magdalena Marszał-Wiśniewska

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-017-9879-5

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Abstract

The study explores the influence of individual tendencies toward mood improvement/deterioration and the Big Five personality traits on mood changes. Participants (218 students) completed NEO-FFI and The Mood Regulation Scales. Based on the within-person structure of individual tendencies toward mood improvement/deterioration four mood regulative types were distinguished (increasing, decreasing, hot and cool type). In the experimental stage participants were randomly assigned to one of four group conditions created by experimental factors: (1) induced mood (positive/negative), and (2) the level of cognitive loading (easy/hard condition). Direct (Mood Adjective Check List) and indirect (emotional version of Lexical Decision Task) measurements were used to assess mood changes. The results showed different patterns of mood changes for increasing and decreasing regulative types. Those differences were visible especially in the positive mood regulation. While the decreasing type decreased the induced positive mood, the increasing type was characterized by mood changes manifested in energetic arousal increase and tense reduction. Moreover, high Neuroticism and low Extraversion in the decreasing type contributed to a negative mood increment manifested in reduction of energetic arousal. The same effect was revealed for high Conscientiousness for the increasing type. The results are discussed in the context of psychological status of mood regulation strategies (automatic/controlled) and with reference to previous research in this area.

Highlights

The subjective well-being (SWB) has been an area of intense research over recent decades
In the first step we analyzed the within-person structure of tendencies toward mood improvement/deterioration and we developed the typology of persons
Clusters 1 (N = 52) and 2 (N = 60) are mirror images of one another and were labeled decreasing type and increasing type (e.g. Gohm 2003)

Summary

Introduction

The subjective well-being (SWB) has been an area of intense research over recent decades. Researchers have been especially interested in the cognitive and affective factors that help to explain individual levels of SWB (Arhaud-Day et al 2005). Some researchers speculate that high SWB is not necessarily related with low level of negative affect. Accepting one’s negative emotions (acceptance) and trying to seek out positive aspects (positive reappraisal) might be an optimal strategy for building high life satisfaction (North et al 2011). Negative emotions can contribute to SWB especially when accompanied with adaptive affective regulation strategies.

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