Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Happy mood decreases self-focused attention.

Jeffrey D Green1, Constantine Sedikides, Judith A Saltzberg

  • 1Soka University, Vejo, CA 92656, USA. jgreen@soka.edu

The British Journal of Social Psychology
|April 26, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Happy moods reduce self-focused attention, contrary to some prior research. This study used music to induce emotions, finding that happiness decreased self-focus compared to a neutral state.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Being present: Witnessing landmark historical events boosts meaning in life.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2025
Same author

Narcissism Is Associated With Blunted Error-Related Brain Activity.

Journal of personality·2025
Same author

Combatting Stigma Toward Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders: The Role of Nostalgia.

International journal of older people nursing·2025
Same author

Narcissism in Action: Perceptions, Team Dynamics, and Performance in Naturalistic Escape Room Settings.

Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same author

A meta-analytic review and conceptual model of the antecedents and outcomes of goal adjustment in response to striving difficulties.

Nature human behaviour·2025
Same author

Diverging Paths to the Self: The Distinct Psychological Roles of Nostalgia and Declinism in Personal Growth.

Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Affective Science

Background:

  • Previous research on the impact of happy mood on self-focused attention has produced conflicting findings.
  • Studies have reported decreased, unchanged, or increased self-focus in happy versus neutral or sad moods.
  • Potential limitations include weak mood induction and confounds between mood induction methods and self-focus measures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of a happy mood on self-focused attention.
  • To address limitations of prior research, including mood induction potency and design confounds.
  • To clarify the relationship between positive affect and self-referential processing.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a within-participants experimental design.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Induced mood states using carefully selected musical pieces.
  • Equated the approximate potency of happy and sad mood inductions.
  • Measured self-focused attention using established psychological tasks.

    • Main Results:

    • Happy mood significantly decreased self-focused attention compared to a neutral mood.
    • The results contrast with some previous findings suggesting increased self-focus in happy moods.
    • Mood induction via music proved effective in modulating self-focus.

    Conclusions:

    • A happy mood, induced effectively, leads to decreased self-focused attention.
    • This finding contributes to resolving inconsistencies in the affective science literature.
    • Future research should consider robust mood induction techniques.