Energetic Arousal Research Articles

Bi-directional associations of core affect and physical activity in adults with higher body weight: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Affect is known to be predictive of and enhanced by higher physical activity (PA) levels in the general population. This secondary analysis aimed to increase the understanding of the bi-directional relationship between PA and core affect (i.e. valence, energetic arousal, and calmness) among adults with higher body weight. Affect and PA were assessed in naturalistic settings via ecological momentary assessment using a mixed sampling scheme from 157 participants (body mass index: 32.99 ± 3.78 kg/m2). Multilevel models revealed that being more physically active in the 15 minutes prior to the assessment predicted an increase in energetic arousal and a decrease in calmness. Subsequently, feeling more energetic and agitated was associated with increased PA within the following 15 minutes. Valence (i.e. pleasure-displeasure) was not associated with PA nor predictive of subsequent PA. Digital PA interventions may target the enhancement of feelings of energy and present psychoeducation about these distinct psychological benefits.

Short Mindfulness Meditations During Breaks and After Work in Everyday Nursing Care: A Simple Strategy for Promoting Daily Recovery, Mood, and Attention?

Nurses experience high job demands, which makes recovery particularly necessary to maintain well-being and performance. However, these demands also make recovery challenging. Short mindfulness meditations could potentially help alleviate this paradox. Two ecological momentary intervention studies were conducted among geriatric nurses (Study 1: break study) and hospital nurses (Study 2: after-work study) to investigate whether short audio-guided mindfulness meditations are beneficial for recovery during breaks and psychological detachment after work. Furthermore, break recovery and after-work detachment were examined as mediators of the associations between mindfulness meditations and after-break/after-sleep mood and attention after respective recovery periods. Multilevel path models were based on a sample of 38 nurses and 208 after-break surveys in the break study and 26 nurses and 192 after-sleep surveys in the after-work study. Compared to breaks spent as usual, breaks that incorporated short mindfulness meditations were associated with higher break recovery, which mediated the positive associations between mindful breaks and after-break calmness, valence, and energetic arousal. Only with certain constraints did mindfulness meditations predict a lower rate of attention failures. In the after-work study, short mindfulness meditations were positively related to psychological detachment, which mediated the positive associations between the intervention and after-sleep valence and calmness. Both pilot studies showed that short mindfulness meditations aid in recovery among nurses. However, to fully utilize the advantages of recovery-promoting breaks, structural changes are necessary to ensure that breaks of an appropriate duration are consistently implemented.

Linguistic style as a digital marker for depression severity: An ambulatory assessment pilot study in patients with depressive disorder undergoing sleep deprivation therapy.

Digital phenotyping and monitoring tools are the most promising approaches to automatically detect upcoming depressive episodes. Especially, linguistic style has been seen as a potential behavioral marker of depression, as cross-sectional studies showed, for example, less frequent use of positive emotion words, intensified use of negative emotion words, and more self-references in patients with depression compared to healthy controls. However, longitudinal studies are sparse and therefore it remains unclear whether within-person fluctuations in depression severity are associated with individuals' linguistic style. To capture affective states and concomitant speech samples longitudinally, we used an ambulatory assessment approach sampling multiple times a day via smartphones in patients diagnosed with depressive disorder undergoing sleep deprivation therapy. This intervention promises a rapid change of affective symptoms within a short period of time, assuring sufficient variability in depressive symptoms. We extracted word categories from the transcribed speech samples using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Our analyses revealed that more pleasant affective momentary states (lower reported depression severity, lower negative affective state, higher positive affective state, (positive) valence, energetic arousal and calmness) are mirrored in the use of less negative emotion words and more positive emotion words. We conclude that a patient's linguistic style, especially the use of positive and negative emotion words, is associated with self-reported affective states and thus is a promising feature for speech-based automated monitoring and prediction of upcoming episodes, ultimately leading to better patient care.

Speech Features as Predictors of Momentary Depression Severity in Patients With Depressive Disorder Undergoing Sleep Deprivation Therapy: Ambulatory Assessment Pilot Study.

The use of mobile devices to continuously monitor objectively extracted parameters of depressive symptomatology is seen as an important step in the understanding and prevention of upcoming depressive episodes. Speech features such as pitch variability, speech pauses, and speech rate are promising indicators, but empirical evidence is limited, given the variability of study designs. Previous research studies have found different speech patterns when comparing single speech recordings between patients and healthy controls, but only a few studies have used repeated assessments to compare depressive and nondepressive episodes within the same patient. To our knowledge, no study has used a series of measurements within patients with depression (eg, intensive longitudinal data) to model the dynamic ebb and flow of subjectively reported depression and concomitant speech samples. However, such data are indispensable for detecting and ultimately preventing upcoming episodes. In this study, we captured voice samples and momentary affect ratings over the course of 3 weeks in a sample of patients (N=30) with an acute depressive episode receiving stationary care. Patients underwent sleep deprivation therapy, a chronotherapeutic intervention that can rapidly improve depression symptomatology. We hypothesized that within-person variability in depressive and affective momentary states would be reflected in the following 3 speech features: pitch variability, speech pauses, and speech rate. We parametrized them using the extended Geneva Minimalistic Acoustic Parameter Set (eGeMAPS) from open-source Speech and Music Interpretation by Large-Space Extraction (openSMILE; audEERING GmbH) and extracted them from a transcript. We analyzed the speech features along with self-reported momentary affect ratings, using multilevel linear regression analysis. We analyzed an average of 32 (SD 19.83) assessments per patient. Analyses revealed that pitch variability, speech pauses, and speech rate were associated with depression severity, positive affect, valence, and energetic arousal; furthermore, speech pauses and speech rate were associated with negative affect, and speech pauses were additionally associated with calmness. Specifically, pitch variability was negatively associated with improved momentary states (ie, lower pitch variability was linked to lower depression severity as well as higher positive affect, valence, and energetic arousal). Speech pauses were negatively associated with improved momentary states, whereas speech rate was positively associated with improved momentary states. Pitch variability, speech pauses, and speech rate are promising features for the development of clinical prediction technologies to improve patient care as well as timely diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response. Our research is a step forward on the path to developing an automated depression monitoring system, facilitating individually tailored treatments and increased patient empowerment.

Assessing effects of diet alteration on selected parameters of chronically mentally ill residents of a 24-hour Nursing Home. Part 3: Effects of diet modification on selected health indicators.

The aim of the research was to check whether, and to what extent, dietary changes affect the selected indicators of health, including well-being. The study, lasting 3 years, included 52 chronically mentally ill people. Hand grip strength (HGS) measurements ‟before" and ‟after" feeding adjustments were performed using a SaehanTM pear dynamometer, blood pressure measurements were made using an Omron blood pressure monitor. Well-being was assessed using the UMACL Adjective Mood Scale. Based on the analysis of medical records, the study also included: the number of infections of the upper respiratory tract, the number of autoaggressive/aggressive behaviors and the frequency of stay of extremely offensive/agitated residents in the hospital. The dietary changes were reflected in the increased value of the hand grip strength (especially in women), lowered or normalized blood pressure to normal or recommended values, lowered tension arousal, accompanied by an increase in energetic arousal and hedonic tone (translating into improved well-being and mood), and a decrease in the number of episodes of aggression/self-aggression and associated hospitalizations. The dietary changes resulted in an improvement in the tested parameters as well as in reduction in the amount of food wasted by the residents. There was also a decrease in the number of catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, which reduced the overall number and quantity of prescribed drugs.

P16: Report on a Dementia Prevention Workshop Organized through Multidiscipline Intervention: An Examination of Intervention Approach through the Evaluation of Group Reminiscence Method and Mental Aspect

Objective:This is a report of a workshop for local residents organized by university researchers in various fields with the aim to develop a dementia prevention method. The five academic fields involved in the project are Health & Sports, Psychology, Food Nutrition, Music, and Nursing.Methods:Dementia Prevention Workshop took place once a week between October 2021 and July 2022 except for some intervals due to surges in Covid-19 infection cases. Dual task exercises were conducted at each session, followed by groupworks by researchers of Psychology, Nutrition, Music, and Nursing Science taking turns. Psychologists facilitated the understanding of assertion, nutritionists held lectures on food life designed for dementia prevention, musicians played instruments, and nurses intervened through the Group Reminiscence Method. The Nursing Science experts conducted evaluations at the beginning and the end of each session using SF-36 and CES-D and checked the participants’ mood before and after the reminiscence session with Japanese UWIST mood adjective checklist (JUMACL).Results:16 participants took the measurement after the workshop, and their average age (SD) was 72.9 (5.5). In the overall evaluation, the participants’ motor ability improved(p<.05), and they retained cognitive functions. In SF-36, no statistically significant differences were observed before and after the classroom. Compared to the data from 2017, the scores in the social aspect were lower. In CES-D, the scores significantly worsened after the workshop, with some participants’ scores exceeding 16 points, which is the depression cutoff point. In JUMACL, the Tense Arousal (TA) related to the arousal state and the Energetic Arousal (EA), which is supposedly related to intellectual activities, both improved after the session.Conclusion:In a single evaluation before and after a group reminiscence session, the state of relaxed concentration with a suggested connection with intellectual activities, but the overall evaluation result throughout the workshop project suggested the need to reinforce the approach to the mental aspect because of some participants observed with decreased scores in the mental aspects with depressive tendency. We will establish an intervention plan by also incorporating the impact of Covid-19-related depression.

Momentary within-subject associations of affective states and physical behavior are moderated by weather conditions in real life: an ambulatory assessment study

BackgroundPhysical behavior (PB) is a key lifestyle factor in regulating and preventing diseases across the lifespan. Researchers identified affective, cognitive, and contextual factors like weather conditions, as significant contributors in determining if individuals are physically active. However, there is scarce empirical evidence about potential associations between PB and affective states influenced by weather conditions in daily life. Therefore, we explored if weather conditions moderated the within-subject association between momentary affective states and subsequent PB.MethodsUtilizing ambulatory assessment, 79 participants completed electronic diaries about their affective states (i.e., valence, energetic arousal, and calmness) up to six times a day over five days, and their PB (i.e., physical activity and sedentariness) was simultaneously recorded via accelerometers. Weather conditions (i.e., temperature and precipitation) recorded near participants’ locations served as moderators in the multilevel analyses.ResultsWe confirmed earlier findings associating affective states with PB. Increased valence and energetic arousal were positively associated with physical activity (β = 0.007; p < .001), whereas calmness predicted lower levels of physical activity (β = -0.006; p < .001). Higher levels of calmness showed a positive association with sedentary behavior (β = 0.054; p = .003). In addition, we revealed a significant positive association between temperature, as a momentary weather condition, and physical activity (β = 0.025; p = .015). Furthermore, we showed that the association of affective states and physical activity was moderated by temperature. Higher temperatures enhanced the positive effects of valence on physical activity (β = .001, p = .023) and attenuated the negative effects of calmness on physical activity (β = .001, p = .021). Moreover, higher temperatures enhanced the positive effects of valence on reduced sedentary behavior (β = -0.011, p = .043).ConclusionsTemperature alterations appeared to have an impact on subsequent physical activity. Furthermore, temperature alterations moderated the influence of affective states on conducted physical activity. This might offer the opportunity for just-in-time adaptive interventions to intervene in individually appropriate environmental conditions for promoting physical activity.

Effects of participant-selected versus researcher-selected music on stress and mood – The role of gender

ObjectivePrevious research suggests differential effects of participant-selected (PS) vs. researcher-selected (RS) music on emotional responses to music listening. This study investigates whether such selection strategies, as well as gender, influence (1) stress and (2) mood responses. Additionally, we examine the role of (3) stimulus-induced emotions and (4) emotion regulation strategies. MethodsParticipants (N = 61) listened to auditory stimuli (PS music, RS music, sound of lapping water (LW); randomized) on three days and underwent a cold pressor test (CPT) while listening. Stress parameters (subjective acute stress, heart rate, parameter RMSSD, salivary alpha-amylase, salivary cortisol), mood dimensions (calmness, valence, energetic arousal), emotions, and emotion regulation strategies were measured. Multilevel and mediation analyses were conducted. Results(1) There were no direct effects of selection strategy or gender on stress responses, but interaction effects indicated that women showed the strongest subjective stress response and the longest HR recovery with PS music, while men showed the lowest HR response to the CPT with PS music. (2) No mood differences emerged between PS and RS music overall. Women showed stronger variability in calmness overall as well as perceived higher arousal when listening to PS music compared to men. (3) Higher stimulus-induced anger in men compared to women and with LW compared to PS was associated with lower calmness and valence, while no consistent pattern emerged for the stress responses. (4) Women scored higher on reappraisal, associated with a decrease in parasympathetic activity, whereas men scored higher on suppression, associated with an increase in endocrine activity. ConclusionsMusic selection and gender appear to have no direct impact on stress and mood responses overall, although men tend to benefit more from self-selected music than women. Our findings provide first indications that avoiding music stimuli that induce anger may facilitate mood management via music. Furthermore, finding alternative emotion regulation strategies to the strategy of suppression may be a helpful approach to improve music-based stress management.

Associations between type and timing of sedentary behaviour and affect in adolescents: An ecological momentary assessment study

BackgroundThere is limited evidence on the associations between type and timing of different sedentary behaviour with affect in adolescents. This study aimed to investigate within-person associations between different types of sedentary behaviour with core affect among a sample of Australian adolescents and explore if the association differs across different times of the day. MethodsUsing ecological momentary assessment, 119 participants (Mage = 14.7 years, 54% male) self-reported engagement in different types of sedentary behaviour, as well as providing information on their affective states multiple times each day, over a four-day period. Data were analysed using multi-level and time-varying effects models. ResultsPlaying video games and having a meal on the weekend was favourably associated with valence and tense arousal. Watching TV or a movie on the weekend was associated with lower tense arousal but also lower energetic arousal. Using social media and reading or doing homework on the weekend were also negatively associated with energetic arousal. Reading or doing homework and using social media on a weekday afternoon were inversely associated with valence. Playing video games using social media and reading or doing homework were inversely associated with energetic arousal on weekdays. Results from the time-varying effects models demonstrated that the magnitude of these effects may differ depending upon the time of the day that the sedentary behaviour occurs. ConclusionsThe type, and to a lesser extent, the timing of sedentary behaviours are differently associated with affect in adolescents. These results may provide unique insights into why some types of sedentary behaviours are related to worse mental health and wellbeing and others are not.

A conditional process model of perfectionism, goal-realization, and post-competition mood

Research has recently begun to examine the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and athletes’ post-competition mood. However, to date, there have been few attempts to examine the interaction between dimensions of perfectionism or model possible explanatory processes. To address these limitations, in the current study we tested a novel conditional process model whereby the relationship between perfectionistic strivings and post-competition affect was mediated by the degree to which goals were considered to have been met (goal-realization) and that this indirect effect was, in turn, moderated by levels of perfectionistic concerns. We tested this model in a sample of 251 athletes who took part in a “Runmageddon” event - a cross-country obstacle race. Athletes completed measures of perfectionism (perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns) before the race and measures of goal-realization and mood (tense arousal, energetic arousal, and hedonic tone) between 24 and 48 h after the race. Analyses revealed that perfectionistic strivings were indirectly linked to a more unpleasant post-competition mood (higher tense arousal and lower hedonic tone) via perceptions of lower goal-realization. In addition, these two indirect effects were statistically significant only when perfectionistic concerns were medium and high. The results support the proposed conditional model and suggest the interplay between dimensions of perfectionism is important for athletes’ post-competition mood, and the level of perfectionistic concerns, especially.

Momentary associations between sedentary bouts, cognitive load and mood in daily life: An ambulatory assessment study

ObjectivesEmpirical evidence points to sedentary behavior as a ubiquitous health-related risk factor. Given the increasing number of mental disorders, a growing body of studies now focuses on the relationship between sedentary behavior and mental health. However, momentary interactions between sedentary bouts, mood, and type of cognitive load in daily life are highly understudied. MethodsTo investigate whether sedentary bouts influence mood, we conducted an Ambulatory Assessment study in the everyday life of 103 university students over 5 days. We continuously measured sedentary behavior via accelerometers and assessed mood and type of cognitive load up to six times each day on smartphone diaries. We employed multilevel modeling to analyze the within-person effects of sedentary behavior, and cognitive load on mood. ResultsSedentary bouts (20-min intervals prior to each e-diary assessment) negatively influenced energetic arousal (p < 0.001) and valence (p = 0.023). Cognitive load (mentally active vs. mentally passive) influenced negatively energetic arousal (p < 0.001) and positively calmness (p = 0.031). Exploratory interaction analyses revealed significant differences between cognitive load and bouts of SB (interrupted vs. uninterrupted). ConclusionsThe negative association between sedentary behavior and two of three mood dimensions (i.e., valence and energetic arousal) suggests sedentary behavior is an important risk factor for mental health among healthy young adults. Additionally, the cognitive load, specifically the distinction between mentally active and mentally passive activities, is an important factor in shaping momentary mood. We strongly recommend reducing prolonged SB and recognizing the potential benefits of engaging in mentally active activities.

The Impact of Nursing Handover on Nurses’ Mood

Objective: To estimate the impact of nursing handover on nurses’ mood after the end of the nursing shift report. Methods: A cross-sectional, repeated-measures design study involving a diary questionnaire was conducted during November - December 2019. Data were collected from 125 nurses working in a public hospital in Northern Greece. 375 diaries were returned. Mood change was measured using the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist instrument that describes three mood factors (Hedonic Tone, Tense Arousal and Energetic Arousal). Results: A significant change in nurses’ mood before and after the nursing handover was reported and more specifically, an increase in positive and a decrease in negative mood state was observed. A change in all mood groups - Hedonic Tone, Tense Arousal and Energetic Arousal was also identified. Nurses with many years of experience who work in internal medicine, increased their Hedonic Tone (P=0.001) and decreased their Tense Arousal (P=0.005). Conclusion: The benefits of nursing handover are long established and is suggested as the most appropriate period of time for nurses to achieve emotional change before leaving from work. Nurses are advised to use the nursing handover as an opportunity to psychologically disengage from work and increase their positive mood.

Does sports therapy affect momentary affective states? Feasibility of intensive longitudinal case studies in forensic psychiatry.

Physical exercise interventions improve quality of life in people with mental disorders and improve abstinence and cravings in substance use disorders patients in both the short term and long term. In people with mental illness, physical exercise interventions significantly reduce psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia and symptoms of anxiety. For forensic psychiatry, there is little empirical evidence supporting mental health-enhancing effects of physical exercise interventions. Interventional studies in forensic psychiatry deal mainly with three problems: heterogeneity of the individuals, a small sample size, and a low compliance rate. Intensive longitudinal case studies could be a suitable approach to address these methodological challenges in forensic psychiatry. This study uses an intensive longitudinal design to determine whether forensic psychiatric patients are content to complete several data assessments per day over the course of several weeks. The feasibility of this approach is operationalized by the compliance rate. Additionally, single-case studies examine the effects of sports therapy (ST) on momentary affective states (energetic arousal, valence, and calmness). The results of these case studies reveal one aspect of feasibility and offer insights into the effects of forensic psychiatric ST on the affective states among patients with different conditions. The patients' momentary affective states were recorded before (PRE), after (POST) and 1 h after (FoUp1h) ST by questionnaires. Ten individuals (Mage = 31.7, SD = 11.94; 60% male) participated in the study. A total of 130 questionnaires were completed. To perform the single-case studies, data of three patients were considered. Repeated-measures ANOVA was performed for the individual affective states to test for main effects of ST. Due to the results, ST has no significant effect on none of the three affect dimensions. However, effect sizes varied between small to medium (energetic arousal: η2 = 0.01, η2 = 0.07, η2 = 0.06; valence: η2 = 0.07; calmness: η2 = 0.02) in the three patients. Intensive longitudinal case studies are a possible approach to address heterogeneity and the low sample size. The low compliance rate in this study reveals that the study design needs to be optimized for future studies.

Dose-dependent changes in real-life affective well-being in healthy community-based individuals with mild to moderate childhood trauma exposure

BackgroundChildhood trauma exposures (CTEs) are frequent, well-established risk factor for the development of psychopathology. However, knowledge of the effects of CTEs in healthy individuals in a real life context, which is crucial for early detection and prevention of mental disorders, is incomplete. Here, we use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to investigate CTE load-dependent changes in daily-life affective well-being and psychosocial risk profile in n = 351 healthy, clinically asymptomatic, adults from the community with mild to moderate CTE.FindingsEMA revealed significant CTE dose-dependent decreases in real-life affective valence (p = 0.007), energetic arousal (p = 0.032) and calmness (p = 0.044). Psychosocial questionnaires revealed a broad CTE-related psychosocial risk profile with dose-dependent increases in mental health risk-associated features (e.g., trait anxiety, maladaptive coping, loneliness, daily hassles; p values < 0.003) and a corresponding decrease in factors protective for mental health (e.g., life satisfaction, adaptive coping, optimism, social support; p values < 0.021). These results were not influenced by age, sex, socioeconomic status or education.ConclusionsHealthy community-based adults with mild to moderate CTE exhibit dose-dependent changes in well-being manifesting in decreases in affective valence, calmness and energy in real life settings, as well as a range of established psychosocial risk features associated with mental health risk. This indicates an approach to early detection, early intervention, and prevention of CTE-associated psychiatric disorders in this at-risk population, using ecological momentary interventions (EMI) in real life, which enhance established protective factors for mental health, such as green space exposure, or social support.

Homeostatic Regulation of Energetic Arousal During Acute Social Isolation: Evidence From the Lab and the Field

Recent evidence suggests that social contact is a basic need governed by a social homeostatic system. Little is known, however, about how conditions of altered social homeostasis affect human psychology and physiology. Here, we investigated the effects of 8 hr of social isolation on psychological and physiological variables and compared this with 8 hr of food deprivation in a lab experiment (N = 30 adult women). Social isolation led to lowered self-reported energetic arousal and heightened fatigue, comparable with food deprivation. To test whether these findings would extend to a real-life setting, we conducted a preregistered field study during a COVID-19 lockdown (N = 87 adults; 47 women). The drop in energetic arousal after social isolation observed in the lab replicated in the field study for participants who lived alone or reported high sociability, suggesting that lowered energy could be part of a homeostatic response to the lack of social contact.

An SEM approach to validating the psychological model of musical groove.

In music psychology, the experience of wanting to move in response to music is commonly known as feeling the groove. According to the psychological model of musical groove by Senn et al., the causes for the urge to move are linked to the properties of the music itself, to the personal background of the listener, to the listening situation, and to feedback loops between body movement and cognition. The model formulates eight hypotheses stating that the music affects a listener's urge to move mediated through a variety of cognitive processes. This study develops a method based on structural equation modeling (SEM) to empirically test the model hypotheses. It evaluates five of the model hypotheses using data from an online listening experiment with 135 participants and 16 stylistically diverse musical stimuli (n = 2,160 observations). The SEM model had a good fit with the data (CFI = 0.958, RMSEA = 0.051) and explained a large proportion of the variance in the latent urge to move variable (R² = .737). Results show that music affects the urge to move mediated through listeners' experiences of energetic arousal, listening pleasure, and temporal regularity. The stimuli themselves showed direct effects on the urge to move that were not mediated through the hypothesized mediation pathways. This suggests that the model is incomplete. The current study demonstrates that the mediation structure of the psychological groove model can successfully be implemented using an SEM approach. The methodology may be adapted to investigate different repertoires, populations, and hypotheses in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations between sedentary time and momentary mood in daily life are independent of contextual factors

Introduction&#x0D; First studies indicate that sedentary time relates negatively to mood in everyday life (Giurgiu et al., 2019). Less is known regarding how these relationships are moderated by contextual factors, such as social situation and environmental location, which are factors that may reinforce or mitigate the negative association between sedentary time and mood and hence may provide potential to intervene upon the negative effects of sedentary behavior. Hence, this study aimed to explore the interplay between sedentary time and contextual factors regarding momentary mood in everyday life.&#x0D; Method&#x0D; We recruited 73 university students (48% female, Mage = 21.64 ±2.52 years, MBMI = 22.88 ±2.26) to participate in an observational ambulatory assessment study. We continuously measured sedentary time and physical activity via a thigh-worn accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Participants filled in an established momentary mood questionnaire up to ten times a day on movement-triggered e-diaries. In addition, they reported their social company (alone vs. with others) and their location (indoor vs. outdoors) during the 15 min time frame preceding the prompt. We analyzed the data using multilevel modeling.&#x0D; Results: Analyzing the 15 min prior the e-diary prompt, main effects models revealed that sedentary time was associated with decreased energetic arousal only (B = -0.57, p &lt; 0.001). Being with others compared to being alone was associated with increased valence (B = 2.96, p &lt; 0.001), energetic arousal (B = 1.93, p = 0.032), and increased calmness (B = 3.89, p &lt; 0.001). Location was unrelated to all mood dimensions. Moderation analysis did not show significant interactions between sedentary time and both the social situation and the location.&#x0D; Discussion&#x0D; Both sedentary time and social company are associated with mood in everyday life, however, in this study, these associations appear to be independent of each other. For energetic arousal, this may indicate that the mechanisms by which sedentary time influences energetic arousal is predominantly physiological (Thyfault et al., 2015), leaving little room for influence from contextual factors. While this study investigated two well-known contextual factors, future studies should expand this research to other contextual factors (e.g., noise assessment, air pollution) and apply more fine-grained objective measures of contextual factors instead of self-report, such as continuous geolocation tracking for the assessment of the environmental location or noise assessment. This may help to identify factors that mitigate the negative effects of sedentary behavior on mood and provide a basis for developing guidelines regarding sedentary behavior.&#x0D; References&#x0D; Giurgiu, M., Koch, E. D., Ottenbacher, J., Plotnikoff, R. C., Ebner‐Priemer, U. W., &amp; Reichert, M. (2019). Sedentary behavior in everyday life relates negatively to mood: An ambulatory assessment study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 29(9), 1340-1351. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13448&#x0D; Thyfault, J. P., Du, M., Kraus, W. E., Levine, J. A., &amp; Booth, F. W. (2015). Physiology of sedentary behavior and its relationship to health outcomes. Medicine &amp; Science in &amp; Exercise, 47(6), 1301-1305. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000000518

The association between physical behavior, affective states, and contextual factors: Using ambulatory assessment to characterize moderating effects

Introduction&#x0D; Physical behavior is a key lifestyle factor in regulating and preventing diseases across the lifespan. Researchers identified affective, cognitive, and contextual factors like weather conditions, as significant contributors in determining if individuals are physically active. However, there is scarce empirical evidence about potential associations between physical behavior and affective states influenced by weather conditions in daily life. Therefore, we investigated the within-subject association between momentary affective states and physical behavior, and weather conditions and physical behavior. Further, we additionally explored if weather conditions moderated the within-subject association between momentary affective states and subsequent physical behavior.&#x0D; Methods&#x0D; Utilizing ambulatory assessment, 79 participants completed electronic diaries about their affective states (i.e., valence, energetic arousal, and calmness) up to six times a day over five days, and their physical behavior (i.e., physical activity and sedentariness) was simultaneously recorded via accelerometers. Weather conditions (i.e., temperature and precipitation) recorded near participants’ locations served as moderators in the multilevel analyses.&#x0D; Results&#x0D; We showed, that the association of affective states and physical activity was moderated by temperature. Higher temperatures enhanced the positive effects of valence on physical activity (β = .001, p = .023) and attenuated the negative effects of calmness on physical activity (β = .001, p = .021). Moreover, higher temperatures enhanced the positive effects of valence on reduced sedentary behavior (β = -0.011, p = .043). In addition, we revealed a significant positive association between temperature, as a momentary weather condition, and physical activity (β = 0.025; p = .015). Furthermore, we confirmed earlier findings associating affective states with physical behavior. Increased valence and energetic arousal were positively associated with physical activity (β = 0.007; p &lt; .001), whereas calmness predicted lower levels of physical activity (β = -0.006; p &lt; .001). Higher levels of calmness showed a positive association with sedentary behavior (β = 0.054; p = .003).&#x0D; Conclusion&#x0D; Moderating effects, such as higher temperatures enhancing the positive effects of valence on PA, provide mechanistic real-life insights as a basis for future health technologies. Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAI) offer the possibility to incorporate weather conditions and allow triggering individuals within their preferred contextual condition to promote physical activity. Such personalized real-time systems have recently been promoted by the WHO as most promising.

Live-streaming Activity and Relaxation Breaks: a (Home-)Office-Compatible Approach to Promote Break Recovery, Mood, and Attention?

The aim of this study is to investigate whether short, live-streaming activity and relaxation lunch breaks have positive associations with office workers’ mood (calmness, valence, and energetic arousal), back pain, and attention after break and whether these associations are mediated by better break recovery. Additionally, we considered the two respite interventions as resources possibly buffering the effects of elevated situational job demands. Ten-minute break exercises were conducted during lunch breaks via Zoom live-stream, and data on those days were compared with data on days on which participants spent their breaks as usual. Our sample of 34 office workers provided data for 277 work days (209 in the home office and 68 on site at the company). Multilevel path models revealed positive total associations of both respite interventions with the mood dimension of calmness. Activity breaks additionally showed a positive association with the energetic arousal dimension of mood, while relaxation breaks were positively related to objectively measured cognitive performance. Interestingly, activity breaks moderated the relationships of job demands with calmness and valence, indicating their function as a stress-buffering resource. There were no significant associations between the two respite interventions and back pain. Supplemented by participants’ feedback, the findings of this study suggest that offering short virtually guided break exercises may represent a feasible and office-compatible approach to promote break recovery, mood and functionality at work, especially regarding home-office work. Possible advantages and disadvantages of the live-streaming format are discussed.

The power of photographs: the impact of marketer- and user-generated photographs on consumers' online hotel booking

PurposeThis study examined how marketer- and user-generated photographs jointly influence consumers' online hotel booking.Design/methodology/approachViewing photographs as stimuli that influence consumers' online hotel booking, this study proposes a research model and validates that using one quasi-experiment.FindingsThe findings of this study provide some empirical insights. Marketers can release room- and scene-related photographs. Users can release product- and social-related photographs. The interaction between room-related photographs by marketers and product-related photographs by users can promote energetic arousal and dominance and then promote online booking intention. The interaction between scene-related photographs by marketers and social-related photographs by users can promote energetic arousal and dominance and then promote online booking intention. Pleasure, energetic arousal and dominance can positively influence the attitude toward photographs. Pleasure and energetic arousal can positively influence the attitude toward photographs and then positively influence booking intention. Dominance can positively influence booking intention.Originality/valueThe findings of this study reveal significant interaction effects between marketer- and user-generated photographs on consumers' online booking. The findings will help researchers and marketers better understand the impact of photographs on consumers' online hotel booking.