Abstract
It has been suggested that personnel in isolated environments experience a drop in mood shortly after the midpoint of their stay. This drop, dubbed the “third-quarter phenomenon,” was investigated in two studies at a remote Antarctic base. Subjects in Study 1 completed 12 retrospective mood measures, based on Russell’s circumplex model of affect, one for each month of their year-long stay. In Study 2, subjects completed one mood scale for each of their 12 months’ deployment. The results of both studies indicate moderate empirical support for the existence of the third-quarter phenomenon, but certain dimensions of mood may be more susceptible to temporal effects. These results are discussed in light of the possible links between arousal and isolation, and implications for Antarctic crews are suggested.
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