Flexible effects of positive mood on self-focused attention

How moods influence self-focused attention is controversial. One model (Sedikides & Green, 2000) predicts that different moods have different effects on self-focus, another model (Salovey, 1992) predicts that all moods increase self-focus. Both models, however, imply that moods have fixed effects on self-focused attention. We Suggest that mood has flexible effects on self-focus depending on contextual variables. An experiment manipulated mood (positive vs. neutral) and situational demand (low vs. high) and then measured self-focus. Positive mood decreased self-focus when people expected to work on a subsequent self-relevant task; positive mood increased self-focus when people were not informed of the task. The results demonstrate how mood interacts with situational factors to influence self-focused attention. The discussion considers implications for theories of how emotions affect self-awareness.