Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Positive and Negative Affect More Concurrent among Blacks than Whites
Maryam Moghani Lankarani1,2, Shervin Assari3,4
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 4250 Plymouth Road, SPC 5763, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2700, USA. lankaranii@yahoo.com.
Race impacts the link between positive and negative emotions. Black Americans show a weaker association between positive and negative affect compared to White Americans, influencing mood and depression assessment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background:
- Positive and negative affect are typically inversely related.
- Simultaneous experience of positive and negative emotions is possible.
- The influence of race on the association between positive and negative affect is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if race moderates the association between positive and negative affect.
- To compare the magnitude of the positive-negative affect association in Black and White Americans.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (N=7108).
- Followed participants aged 25-75 for 10 years (1995-2004).
- Employed linear regressions to analyze the moderating effect of race on affect associations, controlling for demographics, socioeconomic status, and health.
Main Results:
- A significant inverse correlation between positive and negative affect was observed in the overall sample.
- Race significantly moderated this association, with weaker inverse links found among Black Americans compared to White Americans.
Conclusions:
- The reciprocal association between positive and negative affect differs by race.
- Findings have implications for cross-racial mood and depression assessment.
- Black individuals may report higher positive affect alongside high negative affect compared to White individuals.
More Related Videos
06:58Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
08:42Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems
Published on: May 5, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Surveys
The Influence of Affect on Cognition
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Relationship Formation
Attitudes
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison