Using Emotion as Information in Future-Oriented Cognition: Individual Differences in the Context of State Negative...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Affective Science
• Individual Differences Research

Background:

• Future predictions are influenced by current emotional states.
• Individuals vary in how much they integrate emotion into their thinking.
• Understanding these individual differences is key, particularly during negative emotional states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how trait tendencies to use negative or positive emotion as information affect future likelihood estimations and affective forecasts.
• To determine if these trait influences are moderated by emotional state.
• To explore the implications for psychological health and functioning.

Main Methods:

• 119 participants completed measures of emotion-as-information tendencies.
• Participants underwent either a negative or neutral emotion induction.
• Likelihood estimates and affective forecasts for future events were collected.

Main Results:

• Both emotional state and individual differences in emotion-as-information tendencies predicted future outlook.
• Tendencies to "follow negative feelings" broadly impacted future cognition across emotional states.
• Tendencies to "follow positive feelings" specifically protected positive future event predictions when in a negative emotional state.

Conclusions:

• Individual differences in emotion-as-information tendencies can predispose individuals to optimistic or pessimistic future expectations, especially under acute negative emotion.
• These individual differences have implications for adaptive and maladaptive psychological functioning.
• Targeting these tendencies may offer pathways for intervention to improve future outlook and well-being.