Mood Management

Abstract

Mood management theory lies among the theoretical approaches explaining and predicting selective exposure to media. Mood management proposes that a key motivation driving people's selection of media content is the service of hedonism—as is argued, people innately want to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. According to the theory, a person's current mood or feeling state (affect) informs their choice of media, whether the person is expressly aware of this driver or not. If the person is experiencing an unwanted negative mood state, she or he will likely select media content that provides relief from, or rather, repair of this mood state, resulting in a selection that is apt to be positive or uplifting in emotional valence and devoid of any mention of the issues the person believes to have contributed to their negative mood. If, however, the person is experiencing a desirable positive mood state, the person will likely select media that enhances or prolongs the desired state. Similar predictions are made with regard to a person's level of arousal, with the proposition being that people strive to achieve an optimal, or balanced, arousal state and therefore will use media to rid themselves of states that are too low or too high in excitation. Although most often applied to studying the selection of entertainment media, the scope of mood management theory is argued to encompass all forms of media, from entertainment to news presentations to sporting events.