MOOD-CONGRUENT JUDGMENT IS A GENERAL EFFECT

Mood congruency refers to a match in affective content between a person's mood and his or her thoughts. The mood-congruent judgment effect states in part that attributes will be judged more characteristic, and events more likely, under conditions of mood congruence. Thus, the happy person will believe good weather is more likely than bad weather (relative to such a judgment in a state of mood incongruence). Three studies showed that the effect generalizes to non-self-relevant judgments with natural mood. Study 1 (N = 202) generalized it across a variety of specific emotions, Study 2 (N = 1,065) generalized it across a variety of tasks, and Study 3 (N = 524) generalized it to a nonlaboratory, statewide sample. The three studies redefine mood-congruent judgment more broadly and thereby inform the debate about its underlying mechanisms. The relation between mood-congruent judgment and personality is discussed.