Negative affectivity influences report of work-related symptoms

A number of studies have documented that negative affectivity (NA) exerts a considerable influence upon perceptual style and report of symptoms. In three studies (N = 24, N = 30, N = 43), the current paper investigated the influence of NA upon the report of work-related symptoms. For all three studies, we found a firm association between NA and visual and muscular-skeletal symptoms. The results are discussed according to pain sensitivity, general activation and symptom perception. The paper concludes that NA might be a methodological nuisance factor leading to the over-reporting of work-related complaints.