Average Mood Research Articles

Experiential correlates of time alone in adolescence1

Seven hundred and fifty-three observations were collected on 25 adolescents at random times during an average week. The observations consisted of self-reports completed in response to an electronic pager. The study was aimed at the question: What is the experience of time alone like for adolescents? The results suggest a complex but consistent relationship: while aloneness is generally a negative experience, those adolescents who spend a moderate amount of time alone (about 30 percent of their waking time) tend to show better overall adjustment than adolescents who are either never alone or spend more than the optimal proportion of time alone. Alienation and average moods showed inverse linear or quadratic relationships with amount of time alone. These results are discussed in terms of the possible psycho-social functions of aloneness at the adolescent stage of the life cycle.

Marihuana and mood in human volunteers

Fifteen adult male marihuana smokers volunteered to live on a hospital research ward for a 31-day study which included a five-day baseline, a 21-day marihuana smoking period and a concluding five-day baseline. Subjects rated their moods and level of intoxication each day at scheduled occasions. Analyses of variance indicated a significant trend in the mood ratings which increased slightly in the euphoric direction just before smoking marihuana (compared to routine ratings) and further increased slightly after smoking marihuana. Level of intoxication ratings and mood ratings were not significantly correlated, but an intoxicated subject's mood ratings were significantly correlated with the average mood ratings of other subjects intoxicated or not. The results suggest that marihuana may increase a person's susceptibility to the moods of others and the feeling of being in harmony with others may be a positive reinforcer.

Choice of defense mechanisms and their relationship to mood level.

Preferences for defense mechanisms as measured by the Defense Mechanism Inventory were related to average mood level as assessed in normal Ss over a 30-day period. As predicted, males ( n = 23) who tended to prefer defense mechanisms centering around denial, repression, and intellectualization tended to be less depressed, more energetic, and less angry than males who preferred to act out their frustrations against others. Furthermore, as predicted, mood level was more likely to be related to the cognitive, as opposed to the action, component of the defense mechanism. No relationships were found between preference for defense mechanisms and mood level by the 32 women.