Mood induction with facial expressions of emotion in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

Patients with general anxiety disorder (GAD), anxiety prone subjects, and normal controls (n=30, N=90) were subjected to happy and sad mood induction conditions using facial expressions of emotion of varied intensity. Following mood induction, subjects were required to judge their mood state on two scales: the Positive and Negative Affect Scale and the Emotional Self Rating Scale. In general, the anxiety groups showed more sensitivity to the sad mood induction condition. However, the anxiety groups had a higher subjective rating for positive than negative emotions during the happy mood induction condition. These findings suggest the efficacy of the mood induction procedures in anxiety disorders.