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Updated: May 22, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
Published on: May 4, 2011
Mixed emotional experience is associated with and precedes improvements in psychological well-being
Jonathan M Adler1, Hal E Hershfield
1Department of Psychology, Franklin W Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Massachusetts, United States of America. jadler@olin.edu
Background:
The relationships between positive and negative emotional experience and physical and psychological well-being have been well-documented. The present study examines the prospective positive relationship between concurrent positive and negative emotional experience and psychological well-being in the context of psychotherapy.
Methods:
47 adults undergoing psychotherapy completed measures of psychological well-being and wrote private narratives that were coded by trained raters for emotional content.
Results:
The specific concurrent experience of happiness and sadness was associated with improvements in psychological well-being above and beyond the impact of the passage of time, personality traits, or the independent effects of happiness and sadness. Changes in mixed emotional experience preceded improvements in well-being.
Conclusions:
Experiencing happiness alongside sadness in psychotherapy may be a harbinger of improvement in psychological well-being.
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