Dispositional Positive Affect Research Articles

Trait positive affect and antibody response to hepatitis B vaccination

Recent evidence suggests that dispositional positive affect may be associated with decreased vulnerability to upper respiratory infections. To explore a potential pathway of this relationship, we examined whether trait positive affect is related to an in vivo immune response relevant for host resistance to infection. Eighty-four healthy, graduate students who tested negative for prior expose to the hepatitis B virus were administered the standard hepatitis B vaccination series. Five months after the first dose, a blood sample was collected for the measurement of specific antibody response to the vaccine and subjects completed a battery of psychosocial questionnaires. Higher scores on a measure of dispositional positive affect were associated with a greater antibody response to hepatitis B vaccination. This relationship occurred after controlling for demographics and body mass and was largely independent of concomitant levels of dispositional negative affect, optimism, and extraversion. In the presence of dispositional positive affect, there was no independent effect of trait negative affect on antibody response. Physical activity played a protective role for individuals low in positive affect, being related to higher antibody responses. These data provide initial evidence that individual differences in dispositional positive affect may be of health significance, being related to an in vivo immune response relevant for protection against infection.

EEG asymmetry, dispositional mood and personality

Recent studies have demonstrated that dispositional positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) can be predicted by resting electroencephalographic (EEG) asymmetry in anterior brain regions. The aim of the present study was a conceptual replication of these results. An extensive literature review suggested that asymmetry might also be related to personality and we investigated the possibility to extend the association between asymmetry and dispositional mood to personality traits. Resting EEG of 36 subjects was recorded and questionnaires were administered to assess PA, NA, extraversion (E) and neuroticism (N). Subjects who scored high on NA had greater relative left-sided cortical activation than subjects scoring low on NA, which was due to greater absolute activation of the left anterior temporal site in high NA scorers. There were no associations between asymmetry and PA. A functional neuroanatomical model is presented which suggests that greater tonical activation of the left temporal cortex increases the susceptibility to experience negative emotions.

Dispositional affectivity as a predictor of work attitudes and job performance

AbstractPrevious research has shown that dispositional negative affect (NA) is associated with lower levels of job satisfaction. Little research has been conducted, however, on other organizational implications of negative affect or on the potential effects of dispositional positive affect (PA). The present studies examined the relationship of both positive and negative affectivity to organizational commitment, turnover intentions, global job satisfaction and performance. In the first study both NA and PA were associated with organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Additionally, commitment mediated the relationship between dispositional affectivity and turnover. Finally, PA and tenure interacted to predict job performance, such that PA and job performance were positively related, but only for high tenure employees. In Study 2 the findings were generally similar, but not identical. Both NA and PA were related to global job satisfaction and turnover intentions. However, only PA was related to affective organizational commitment. Moreover, both job satisfaction and affective commitment mediated the relationship between dispositional affectivity and turnover intentions. Finally, unlike Study 1, PA was not related to job performance. Rather, NA and tenure interacted such that when individuals were lower in tenure, NA was negatively related to performance.