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Does mood really influence comparative optimism? Tracking an elusive effect
Author(s) -
Drace Sasa,
Desrichard Olivier,
Shepperd James A.,
Hoorens Vera
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1348/014466608x387098
Subject(s) - optimism , mood , psychology , recall , optimism bias , affect (linguistics) , demand characteristics , cognitive psychology , social psychology , developmental psychology , communication
Methodological limitations call into question prior evidence that positive moods are associated with greater comparative optimism. Experiments 1–4 tested if mood affects comparative optimism using a mood manipulation that minimized experimenter demand. While the procedure was successful in inducing mood, we found no evidence for a mood effect on comparative optimism. The absence of a mood effect was not due to participants correcting their judgments in response to a presumed mood bias (Experiments 2, 3 and 4) or to participants proactively regulating their mood (Experiments 3 and 4). Experiment 5 compared the mood manipulation of Experiments 1–4 with an autobiographical recall procedure. Although the two methods were equally effective in inducing mood, only autobiographical recall influenced participants' comparative optimism. Study 6 provides preliminary evidence that experimenter demand may be responsible for the effects of autobiographical recall on comparative judgments.